IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


V 


A 


{/ 


4. 


y. 


i'^/^^    WJ>. 


% 
^ 


1.0 


I.I 


1;^ 

150 


IM   IIIII2.5 


1^  1^ 

liS    1 2.0 


- ...  1^ 


1.8 


1.25 

1.4 

1.6 

-• 6"     

► 

V] 


V] 


.  o 


7 


-^  ;^ 


/ 


/A 


Photographic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


s. 


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CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  IVIicroreproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  et  bibliographiques 


The  Institute  has  attempted  to  obtain  the  best 
original  copy  available  for  filming.  Features  of  this 
copy  which  may  be  bibliographically  unique, 
which  may  alter  any  of  the  images  in  the 
reproduction,  or  which  may  significantly  change 
the  usual  method  of  filming,  are  checked  below. 


L'Institut  a  microfilm^  le  meilieur  exemplaire 
qu'il  lui  a  6X6  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details 
de  cet  exemplaire  qui  sont  peut-dtre  uniques  du 
point  de  vue  bibliographique,  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  mdthode  normale  de  filmage 
sont  indiquds  ci-dessous. 


D 


Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 


I      I    Covers  damaged/ 


n 


D 


n 


n 


Couverture  endommagde 


Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaurde  et/ou  pelliculde 


I      I    Cover  title  missing/ 


Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 


I      I    Coloured  maps/ 


Cartes  gdographiques  en  couleur 

Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 


□    Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 
Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couleur 


Bound  with  other  material/ 
Reli6  avec  d'autres  documents 

Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 
along  interior  margin/ 

Lareliure  serrde  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
distortion  le  long  de  la  marge  intdrieure 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II  se  peut  que  certaines  pages  blanches  ajoutdes 
lors  d'une  restauration  apparaissent  dans  le  texte, 
mais,  lorsque  cela  dtait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  dtd  filmdes. 


D 
D 
D 
0 
D 
0 
D 
D 
D 


Coloured  pages/ 
Pages  de  cojieur 

Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommagdes 

Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Pages  restaurdes  et/ou  pellicul^es 

Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 
Pages  d^colordes,  tachetdes  ou  piqudes 

Pages  detached/ 
Pages  ddtachdes 

Showthrough/ 
Transparence 

Quality  of  print  varies/ 
Qualit^  indgale  de  I'impression 

Includes  supplementary  material/ 
Comprend  du  materiel  supplementaire 

Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Edition  disponibia 

Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc.,  have  been  refilmed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  pages  totalement  ou  partiellement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuiliet  d'errata,  une  pelure, 
etc.,  ont  6td  film^es  6  nouveau  de  fapon  6 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 


D 


Additional  comments:/ 
Commentaires  suppldmentaires; 


Various  pagings. 


This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  filmd  au  taux  de  reduction  indiqud  ci-dessous. 


10X 

14X 

18X 

22X 

26X 

30X 

y 

12X 


16X 


20X 


24X 


28X 


32X 


The  copy  filmed  here  has  been  reproduced  thanks 
to  the  generosity  of: 

National  Library  of  Canada 


L'exemplaire  filmd  fut  reproduit  grSce  d  la 
g6ndrosit6  de: 

Bibliothdque  nationale  du  Canada 


The  images  appearing  here  are  the  best  quality 
possible  considering  the  condition  and  legibility 
of  the  original  copy  and  in  keeping  with  the 
filming  contract  specifications. 


Original  copies  in  printed  paper  covers  are  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on 
the  last  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, or  the  back  cover  when  appropriate.  Ail 
other  original  copies  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  -^  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 

Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Les  images  suivantes  ont  6X6  reproduites  avec  le 
plus  grand  soin,  compte  tenu  de  la  condition  et 
de  la  nettetd  de  l'exemplaire  filmd,  et  en 
conformity  avec  les  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmage. 

Les  exemplaires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprimde  sont  film^s  en  commengant 
par  le  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  le  second 
plat,  selon  le  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exemplaires 
originaux  sont  film^s  en  commengant  par  la 
premidre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaitra  sur  la 
dernidre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbole  — ^  signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  le 
symbole  V  signifie  "FIN". 

Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  etre 
filmds  d  des  taux  de  reduction  diffdrents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  3tre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  cliche,  il  est  filmd  d  partir 
de  Tangle  supdrieur  gauche,  de  gauche  6  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  n^cessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
iliustrent  la  mdthode. 


1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

1  w^ 


^ 
o 


■A 


b 
a 


a 


J  o 


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J  o  r  K  V  r  > 


^    ^')i■f^ 


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--    .It. 


'■^  /.,'."  -;  ■  :   "i  ',,  :  ".  •  V. 


t      1   !   '•,     t     '   '    '"• 


'#•1 


i 


A    JC 


GtOLOC 


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iiiiiWimiDBiiii" 


rijiipcr  (Ex^cliitioiu 


SCIExNTIFIO   RESULTS 


>  i 


^'  •' 


OF 


A   JOURNEY    IN    BRAZIL 


By   LOUIS   AGASSIZ 


AND    HIS    THAVELLINQ    COMPANIONS 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAniY 

OF  BRAZIL. 

By  CII.  FRET).  TIABTT. 

PROFESSOU    1)1'    <iIi(>U)(;Y     IN     COItNKl.l-    INIVKHSITY. 


WITH  ILLU  STRATI  OSS  AND  MAPS. 


V>  0  S  T  O  N  : 
FIELDS,    OSGOOD,    &    CO. 

1870. 


To  rUOFKSS( 

DiKK 


KntiTi-'l  acrir 


iliii'j  t<i  Aft  ofCmiirrosii,  in  t\x<-  year  I'^T'i,  by 


1  1 1 : 1 . 1 ' s ,    I ) s I ;  (I n  1 1 ,    vV    CO., 
tUf  UlUii'  of  tin-  Libniriaii  of  Coiijrivss,  at  Wa.-hiugtuu 


Mv  m: 
I    have   the 
(Jc'Ograjiliy  an 
iTsnlts  uf  my 
t(\ut.'thor  witli 
outgrowth  of 
f  liatl  been  ob 
I  take  tliis 
to  you  for  tho 
your  t'oiistarit 
nosses  rocoivo 
With  the  1 
to  bo, 


Umvi:rsitv   Prkss  :  Wfixh,  liicni.ow,  i*i  C 


To  I'HOFKSSOll  LOUIS   ACiASSIZ, 

DlUKCTOU    Oh-    Tin:    TllAVKU    KXPEDITIUN. 


i<p^»*««»»>»<  "Mm 


Mv  DK.vit  Siu  :  — 
I  liavc  tlic  lumor  to  oflbr  you  this  volume  on  the  I'hy.sk'al 
(Jt'otrriuiliv  aud  (Jooloiry  ut"  Brazil  as  a  sumniavy  of  tlio  soioutiHc 
iTs\ilts  uf  my  exi)lorations  as  au  a((<tc/ir  of  tlic  Thayer  Ivxpetlitim;. 
together  witli  tiiose  of  a  »eeou(l  private  cxpeditiou,  —  the  natural 
outgrowth  of  the  former.  —  made  to  ccutinue  investigations  wliicli 
1  liad  been  obliged  to  leave  unfinished. 

I  take  this  opportunity  vf  aeknowledging  my  deej)  indebtedness 
to  you  for  the  interest  you  have  taken  in  my  scientific  studies,  fur 
your  constant  wise  coimsel  and  advice,  and  for  a  thousand  kind- 
nesses received  at  your  hands. 

With  the  highest  consideration  and  respect,  I  have  the  honor 
to  be, 

My  dear  Sir, 

Your  former  pupil, 

CII.  FKED.  IIAUTT. 

Cornell  Umvfii';ty,  Ttiiaca,  N.  Y., 


This  voluir 
ill  Hnizil.     T 
Professor  A<ji;i 
ill  the  yeiii's  ] 
eurcfiilly  the 
hetwccii  I?i()  I 
ground  on  ho 
iiey  is  to  l)e 
ccssary  to  rcj 
Cojiehxnd,  oi* 
dition,  and  I 
ness  to  him  f( 
On  this  journ 
tions  of  marl] 
neglect  to  s(-( 
that  these  co 
water  and  ma 
made  at  freq 
neiro,  tliat  tl 
distril)ntion   c 
and  coral  reel 
attractive  to 
]3razil,  and  sp 


PIIEFATORY    NOTE. 


This  volume  is  the  result  oCtwo  joiu'neys  mndo  hy  myself 
iu  Drazil.  The  first  was  uudertakcu  un.lcr  tliu  direction  of 
Professor  A<j:assi/,  in  connection  with  tlie  Thnyer  K.K|K'(litlon 
in  the  years  18(1.')  and  l(S(i(j.  On  this  journey  1  studied  very 
carefully  the  (Jeology  and  Physical  (leog-raphy  of  the  coast 
between  Bio  and  Bahia,  going  over  a  very  large  ])art  of  the 
ground  on  horseback  or  in  canoe.  As  a  sketch  of  the  jour- 
ney is  to  he  found  in  the  "  Joui-ney  in  IJrazii,"  it  is  not  ne- 
cessary to  repeat  it  here.  ^ly  companion  was  Mr.  Edward 
Copeland,  of  Boston,  ont>  of  the  volunteer  aids  of  the  Expe- 
dition, and  1  take  pleasure  in  acknowledging  my  indebted- 
ness to  him  for  the  very  valualjle  assistance  he  rendered  mc. 
On  this  journey  Mr.  Copeland  and  I  made  very  large  collec- 
tions of  marine  invertel)rates  and  fishes,  though  mt  did  not 
rieglect  to  secure  other  ol>jects  of  natural  history.  I  hope 
that  these  collections  will  throw  much  light  on  the  fresh- 
water and  marine  animals  of  the  coast,  and,  as  they  were 
made  at  frequent  intervals  between  IJahia  and  Rio  de  Ja- 
neiro, that  they  will  i)rove  valuable  in  the  study  of  the 
distribution  of  the,-^e  animals,  ^ly  studies  of  the  stone 
find  coral  reefs  and  of  the  geology  of  Brazil  ])rovod  so  very 
attractive  to  me  that  on  the  year  following  I  returned  to 
]h-azil,  and  spent  my  vacation,  several  months,  in  examining 


VI 


rnr.iAToi.'v  noti: 


tli(>  ciinst  lictwct'ii  rci'iKiiiiliiii'o  ;iml  IJio,  ('.\|il(>riii<r  iiKirc 
jiiirliciihiilv  tilt'  \iciiiity  of  r.:ilii:i  and  tlic  islands  and  cdi'al 
reefs  of  llie  .Vhi't illios.  1  was  aide(l  peeuniai'd y  nii  this 
seemid   e.Xjieditinii    liy    Vi'.  .lolni    Loekwood.  ot'  tlie    Adelplii 


Aead 


e||i\-,    I'l'diilv 


Ivii,  the  New  ^'(>^k  Assoeiatidii   foi-  the  Ad- 


vaneeiiieiit   nf  Seieiiee  ami    Art,  ami   the  ('(t(i|(ei'  Institiile; 
liii!    my   thanks  are  esjieeially  (hie   tn   Miss  Chadeayne.  the 


irmeiiia 


1   .)!• 


an    exeelleiit    lauies     S( 


hool 


.lersev   Citv.  io 


y\v.    \'an   X.isii'and,  (>!'  Newark,  to  mv   friend    .Nhiior  O.  C 


anies,  nt 


leiucn.  witliout  wh^se  ht 


I'Ol 


IS  aid  1  shituhl  nnt 


lia\e  aeeonijth-he(l  my  e\|ie(hti(m  and  hrtinuht  h(tmo  my 
vnhiniimms  enllcetion,  and  to  Mr.  .1.  I'].  Mili>.  and  Mr.  U. 
L.  I>u-dah',  (  ''New-  York. 

1  wi>h  that  I  eouhl  adetpiately  aeknewledp'  llie  innuiucr- 
ahle  kimhiesses  and  attentions  I  liiive  I'eeeixcd  fi'nm  Captaiiis 
Tinkh'pauLih  and  Sloeomh.  and   the  oflieers  on   llie  splemUd 


steamer  nl  the   u'eiierous  Messrs 


M( 


( 


laiMison  anti 


All 


en,  an( 


1 


l'vn\n  ii  liimdre(|  kind  friends  in  Ih'azil.     The  hos|atality  witli 


which  I  w 


s  e\-erv\vliere    I'eeeMcd    m    l.ra/.i 


am 


I    tl 


le  assist- 


nnce  ol'fered  m(>  wherevei'  I  went  in  the  proseention  of  my 
stndies  of  the  enuntry,  have  m;ide  me  love  the  hind  of  tlio 
S'lhia.  and  it  is  my  sineerest  wish  in  aekn(»w  le(|n-ment  of 
so  nmeh  kim.iii'ss  to  lie  to  some  hmnhle  de'jree  instiannenfiil 
in  remo\in'_L'  false  impressions  so  enrrent  ahoiit  l>ra/il.  anil 
to  make  the  ri'sonrees  of  the  Kmpire  hettei'  known  in  .\mer- 
iea.  Til  the  eom'st^  of  the  followimi-  paii'os  1  shall  have 
fre(jiiently  opportunity  to  aeknowliMlp'  flic  aiil  not  only  of 
Jira/.ilians.  hut  of  forein-nd-s  resident  in  the  eonntrv. 


Tl 


us  Volume  wu. 


itended  ;it  lii'st  as  a  report  to  Professor 
Aii'assiz  as  the  Director  of  the  Thayer  Kxpedilion,  (luhra- 
einu'  dimply  tli»>  resuhs  of  my  explorations  as  n  "-(^oiouMst 
of  that  expedition,  tnuclher  witli  tho^e  of  luv  s(>cond  inde- 


■  ■miRPMiipiyy^^Mi 


rilF.FAIOCY    XOTi; 


VII 


{icndciit  JDunicv,  both  reports  to  lie  |»nlilislie<l  niiKum'  tlio 
••oiitriliiitifins  ol'  the  'I'liiivci-  Mxpcdilioii.  |)'iriii'j'  llic  prcp- 
;il'iitii)li  (tf  these  reports,  iilid  ill  CMiiseipii'ili  e  ol"  tll<'  <lel;iy  ill 
])iilili('!itinn,  I  lia\e  Imil  the  (»|>p()rtiiiiily  ol"  e\;iiuiiiiiiu'  iiinre 
or  h'ss  eriticallv  llie  works  of  the  iii:iioril\-  of  the  writers  on 
r.i;i/il,  Jind  (lie  \(thiine,  iVoin  n  >iiiiph'  report  of  my  own  in- 
vestigations, h;is  _!irown  to  ;i  general  wori-;,  in  which  I  hasc 
orated  tlie  liest   resnlts  ot'othei's  who  ha\('  written  on 


nicoriH 


1 
tlie  (leolo^y  and    Physical  (Jeography  of  Ura/.il.      I   liave   to 

ackiiow  h'dge  v;diiiilih!  eontrihiitioiis  to  this  \ohiine  (Voni 
^Icssrs.  .1.  A.  Allen,  ( )restes  II .  St.  .lolin,  and  Thonnis  Ward, 
all  of  whom  were  employed  on  the  Thayer  lv\pe(lition.  1  am 
indehted  to  I'rol'essor  .lelt'ries  AVvman  lor  an  interesting  com- 
mnnication  with  reference  to  a  !'>otociido  skull,  and  to  Pro- 
lessor  iMjihens  Hyult  for  liis  vidiiiiMe  paper  on  the'  Creta- 
ccons  Fossils  of  Maro'hn  ;  Trofessor  <  >.  ('.  Marsh  has  kindly 
examined  !ind  descrihed  in  tln^  .loiirnal  of  Scicnec^  a  low 
reptilian  remains  I  collected  at  Dahia,  Professor  Verrill  de- 
scrilied  the  radiates  of  my  second  jonrney,  and  Mr.  S.  .1.  Smith 
has  jtiihlished  a  vahiahle  paper  on  the  ('nistaeea  of  the  same 


lonrnev 


Prof 


essoi' 


M; 


irsii  s  naiie 


I  I 


lave   u'lveii  a 


Imost 


en- 


tire. From  Professor  VerrilTs  I  have  drawn  lairely,  and  I 
have  giv(Mi  tlic  general  r(>snlls  of  that  of  Mr.  Smith.  A  part 
of  the  eha]»ter  on  the  Coral  Heel's  appeare(l  in  the  American 
Naturalist,  to'jether  with    sereral    of  th(>   wood-cuts,   wliicdi 


ave  heen   kindiv   lent    me    for   this    volin 


ne 


I 


nnist   e\- 


pi'css  my  thaid<s  to  Messrs.  Putnam.  Packar<l,  Moi'se,  and 
llvatt,  of  the  Peahodv  Academv.  for  vahiahle  assistance  ren- 
deivd. 

I'rofessor  Agassi/,  has  generonsly  allowed  me  the  use  of 
hooks,  maps,  and  jihotographs,  and  lias  assisted  me  in  vari- 
ous ways.      1   regret  exceedingly  that  his  illness  has  i)re- 


VIU 


ITvEFATOnV   X(">Ti:. 


vented  liini  ffoni  prejmrint^  lor  the  work  the  j)nper  on  the 
lishes  wh'uli  he  eontenijthited. 

In  the  loeent  excellent  \vi)ik'*()n  the  Ifiniilaiuls  of  the 
Brazil,"  hy  Cnjttnin  Ihirton,  the  ecU'lirateil  AlVican  travellei-, 


now  Knu'lisli  Consul  at  Santos  in  the  ri'ovince  of 


ao 


Paul 


o. 


the  author  uses  throughout  the  delinite  artieie  |»reli\ed  to 
the  name  of  the  Kni]»ire.  Ihirton  says,  *'  I  do  not  eall  the 
eountry  '  ili'a/.il,"  which  she  does  not  ;  nor  dues  any  other 
nation  Iml  our  own"*  Caj>tain  ihirton's  reasoninyj  d(jes 
iu)t  seem  to  me  ([uite  conclusive.  It  is  true  that  the  Portu- 
u'uese  say  "o  Ih'azil^  flir  Brazi'.''  hut  the  article  is  not 
]irellxed  to  liive  any  pai'tienlar  dchnitciu'ss  to  the  ]..une. 
They  say  also  a  Li^-Iatcrra,  a  Fnui^^n^  o  l\irai]:;Ha)j^  A'c,  the 
tleiinite  article  being  a|)])lied  to  almost  all   names  of  jdaees. 


o  we  have  in  Freneh  Ic  Brc»ilJa  France.  V Atw-hit 


rrr 


In 


Italian  the  delinite  artieie  is  used  Iiel'ore  the  name  of  a 
country  when  the  whole  of  it  is  meant,  hut  ordinarily  it  is 
nut  cm)>loycd.     In  Spanisli  it  is  nse(l  nnicli  as  in  Fi-eneh. 

Since  the  Brazilians  use  the  artieie  ])eforc  tlie  names  of 
other  countries  as  well  as  their  own,  m  accordance  witli  a 
custom  lollowe(l  hy  otlun*  Romance  languages,  there  would 
seem  to  he  no  better  reason  foi-  sayii'ir  Tlir  Brazil,  contrary 
to  English  usage,  than  ''  T/ir  Fraitcr,''  because  the  French 
do.  It  is  tiMie  that  many  English  writers  on  Ih-azil  have  used 
the  article,  but  tlu>  mnjority  have  not,  and  no  on(^  but  Bur- 
ton uses  it  to-day.  "  TJir  Brazils,"  as  that  author  lias  re- 
marked, is  an  anachronism  occasionally  seen,  but  only 
proper  between  the  years  l,')?:^  and  l.")Td,  when  the  country 
was  divided  into  two  novernmeuts.  It  is  more  hi<di-sonnd- 
ingtlian  the  ordinary  form,  and  so  ]»r(.)l)ably  remains  in  use. 
In    the    North    European    languages,   German,    llollandish, 

*  Vul.  I.  ]).  ,3,  note. 


IS  very  |iuzz 
sure  to  eon 


*  Ilaklnyt  ii^ 
old  Kn-xii^li  uri 


ri!i:FATORY   NOTE. 


IX 


Danish,  or  Swedish,  tlie  iiiinio  isdcrivcMl  from  tlic  T^iitiu  form 
nrcsilid;*  in  Piuiisli  jiiul  ( J(>rmjiii,  A'/v/.v/Z/r//,.  In  like  man- 
m-r  we  liave  the  Oermaii  Itnlicn,  Slri/i(H,  A'C.  In  none  of 
these  Uin;4"nn,ues  is  the  article  nscd.  J  liave  foHowed,  in  this 
work  the  eonnnon  nsa^e,  and  have  omitted  the  iu'tielc. 

'JMie  nse  of  tiie  article  before  the  names  of  places  in  Di-azil 
is  vcrv  nnz/linu',  and  foreiuiiers  writinu'  on  the  counti'v  ai'c: 
sure  to  connnit  l)lunders.  The  names  of  the  provinces  are 
especially  diilicnlt.  Several  of  them  are  derived  from  rivers, 
as  Amazonas,  Pani,  Parahyba,  cVe.,  and  these  take  the  article 
in  rortntiMiese,  as  do  Ceara,  Ala,tieas  (plural),  Hahia,  and 
l"]s[)irit(j  Santo  ;  hnt  those  heai'inii'  the  nani(\s  of  saints,  to- 
u(>ther  with  I'ernamhiico,  Seriiipe,  ^linas  (Jeraes,  ]\Iatto 
(1-  .^u.  .  and  (loyaz,  do  not.  The  same  difticulty  is  met  with 
:  .  .''  names  of  rivers,  serras,  A'c,  and  it  is  impossilile  to 
o'ivr  general  rnle  to  guide  one  in  writing  them.  .Ah)st 
wri  s  seem  to  he  impressed  with  the  idea  that  Portngnese 
is  oidy  had  Spanish,  and  that  it  will  do  just  as  well  to  write 
Ih'azilian  names  in  the  Spanish  form  ;  so  we  find  some  of 
our  best  authoi's  on  P)razil  using  San  Francisco  for  Sao 
Francisco.  The  oidy  safe  way  seems  to  be  to  give  geogra- 
jihical  names  exactly  as  used  by  the  ih-azilians  themselves. 

Prazil.  in  its  climate.  ])eople,  and  productions  of  all  kinds, 
was  at  tlu>  time  of  its  diseoveiy  totally  different  from  Furo])e. 
The  Furopean  colonists  in  JJrazil  therefore  had  no  names  to 
give  to  the  things  they  saw  abont  them.  Such  was  not  the 
case  in  North  America,  where  the  eai'ly  explorers  found 
animals  ahd  plants  resemljling  those  of  Enroj)e,  and  they 
recognized  the  bear,  the  wolf,  the  coellish,  the  herring,  the 
oak,  S:c.,  Are.     Hut  in  IJrazil  all  was  new,  and  the  euphoni- 


1 


i 


w 

...'!, 


*  Ilakliiyt  used  the  form  Brosilia,  iind  it  i>  to  ho  found  in  the  works  of  other 
old  En''ii.><li  wriors. 


,1 


ri:i:iAr(ii;v  note 


oils  indiiiviious  names  ^v(M•o  adojiiod  and  incorporatiMl,  and 
l(»-dav  tlic  1 '()!•< uuucsc  of  Hi-a/il  is  I'lill  of  Uiciiu  ami  jilaccs, 
t()(t.  licar  to  a  vciy  lariiv  cxtcid  their  Indian  nann's.  Far  and 
Avide,  np  and  down  Uie  ecast,  and  tliroiiLrli  llie  eoiintry,  was 
iointd  distriliuted  the  .iii'cat  nation  ol"  the  Tnpfs,  s])eakinL' 
evci'vuhiMv  tlic  sanu'  iiciicral  laniinau'o,  and  it  is  IVoin  this 
hintinaLi'e,  now  spokrn  ovci'  a  hiriie  ])art  of  IJra/il,  that  th(\s(' 
nanu's  wcim^  taken.  Tlicse  luiines  have  hccn  written  witli 
th('  I'oi'tiigiiese  ])i'(»nniu'iati()ii,  and  have  oi'U'n  ln'cn  nincli 
corniplcd,  so  tliat  their  ortliotz'i'aphy  varies  \v:y  inneh. 
Foreigners  iniir(K'r  tlicni  (eaii'nlly.  Ainonu'  the  writers  on 
Ih'a/.il  !5afes  and  r>ni'ton  ai'c  |i('rha])s  the  most  aecinate  in 
their  use  ol"  Foi'tiiLiiiese  and  'I'lipf  names.  In  this  work  1 
liave  Inllnwed  the  hest  anlhorit ies,  and  1  hav(>  taken  partien- 
kii'  p;iins  to  insnre  eorreetness  in  the  ti'eog'raphieal  names  ; 
hnf.  sinee  tliere  is  no  siamhird  of  ortlioornphy  I'oi-  those 
names  even  in  Ih'a/.il.  and  since  one  is  iVeqnently  ohliged  to 
depend  mi  an  iuMiorant  li'iiide  Inr  the  name  of  ii  j)laee  or 
an  ohjeet,  absohile  nnilbrmity  and  accni'aey  are  out  of  the 
(piestion. 

In  hiokimi:  ii]>  the  derivation  of  Hrazilian  a'eo<:'raphiea1 
names.  1  was  ]e(l  into  a  stndy  of  th(^  word  "  r>r:;/.il,"'  hnt  1 
soon  fonnd  tli;it  flumhohh  h;id  preeeihMl  me.  and  I  am  ahh' 
to  aihl  litth'  to  wliid  he  has  said  on  the  snlijce 
are  alloat  so  manv  incoiTeet 


me( 


ther 


(le;is   eoneernm'j,'   the    denva- 
tj)!!  of  tlie  iiiime.  it   seems  not  iinadvisalde  to  siive  here  in 

1,-' 

hrief  the   I'esidl   of  llnmhi»hlFs   reseandies.* 

Aeeordinir  to  IlnmhohH  the  ninue,  nmU'r  the  various  forms 
of  Bi-acie,  Jyrazi',  Ij(  rzV,-\  iippears  on  Itahan  maps  from 

*    C't'Df/mplnr  iln  wmrnvi   Couiiuiul ,  'Wnw.  II.   p.   21 4,  to  wliicli  the  rciulLT  is 
referred  l(ir  the  iletiiilsof  tlie  discussion. 

t  Ainotifj:  tin-  iiKiiiy  curiou-  old  fonii-;  of  the  nunie  T^v;\/.il  iiinv  Ke  mentioned 


l!l;U  of  AvsvV/,  f 
('i('ii'tr<ijihii    (I'l   !i 

*  See  llnmh( 
I'l  tlie  iiivesiiL''!U 
lins  historieil  ev 

1  Decade  1.  I 
n-cve  found  lit  1 
|n;etU(|UiUii  eoec 
iihiin  aiiiiellant.' 


PREFATORY   NOTi:. 


£1 


in.")l  to  14')0,  appliiMl  \i)  Olio  or  iiioro  of  the  islands  of  the 
Aroi'.'s,  and  more  jiarticiilai'ly  1o  a  point  of  the  i.shind  of 
'IVireii-a,  wliieh  still  l)ear.s  the  name. 

For  three  centuries  before  tlic  discovery  of  the  route  to 
the  Imlies  aronnd  the  Cape  of  (!ood  Hope  there  was  known 
in  Kni-ope  ;i  d_ve-woo(l  called  A/vx///,  /./vrs'/////,  hrcsi/Ji,  bru.ri- 
//>  or  hrasilr,  which  ap))ears  to  have  Iiccn  dcriviMl  tVom  one 
or  more  J"]ast  Indian  speci-'s  of  Cfrsn'/n'iin  and  J'/frocdr/tns. 

As  to  how  this  dye-wood  came  to  hear  the  name  (tf  l>razil 
1  know  not.  and  1  fear  that,  any  attempts  to  derive  it  fri'in 
Sanskrit  oi'  other  roots  will  leail  to  nofhinu'  satisfatdory.* 
Aiiii'liiera  speaks  of  the  occnrrence  of  Ih'a/.il  wood  in  Haiti, 
whi(di  was  known  lonu'  licfore  the  discovei\\  of  IJrazil. 
(Ii'inaMis  sjieaks  in  14'.>1»  of  the  Ih'azil-wood  seen  at  I'aria 
(Payi'a). 

Hnmholdt  says  :  "  Tn  proportion  as  discoveries  extended 
themselves  to  the  sonlh  of  Cape  Santa  Anirnstinho,  csjx'eially 
.after  Pedro  Alvarez  Calu-al,  in  May.  loOO,  had  taken  jtosses- 
sion  of  the  Terra  do  Santa  Crnz.  the  commerce  in  the  red- 
wood of  Continental  America  became  more  active.  On  the 
fourth  expedition  of  \'espncius.  in  which  one  of  the  ships 
was  lost  OP  the  shoals  ai'onnd  Fernando  Noronha,  a  carii'o 
of  Brazil-wood  was  taken  in  near  the  Hahia.      All  the  world 


':m 


that  of  Pnsil/,  found  in  mi  Miiricnt  ]intilii':ition,  ilix'rilioil  liv  TTinnI)olilt  in  )iU 
fi('"fp(iji/ii,  (hi  iioiirniH  (''•Nli/ioit,  Toinc  \'  ]).  :.'•'!'.•,  I'Utillril  Cii/'i'i  (fcr  X' m  n 
'/.I  i/tini'/  nti^s  PiT'iilli'i  f.nmlt. 

*  Si'c  Ihinilioldt,  i'i>.  cit.  Tome  IT.  ]>.  'J'i'J.  Tf  i-;  nlwnys  uiisMfc  to  iivocivil 
I'l  tlir  invosiiLTiition  of  tlic  t'tyniolouicitl  (icriviuion  of  iiropcr  niinu's,  \iiilc.-«  one 
has  liistoric'il  cviiliMici'  of  sonic  -^ort  to  ytiidc  Iiiin. 

t  Dcciidi'  T.  I.iv.  4.  ]i,  11,  quoted  hy  Ilundioldt.  An<r]iit'ra  says  that  tli-TO 
ncrc  found  at  Haiti  "  sylvas  iiniiu'ii^as,  ([ua-  arliorc<  nullas  nutvi'liaiit  alias 
|nata(|uaui  cocoiiioas  (nuwuin  iiiiiiuiu  iniTcatorc*  Ttaii  irrzhniiu,  Flispani  A/</- 
iihiin  aji]ii'llant." 


I 


rSSSBBSB^- 


Xll 


rREFATOKY   NOTK. 


knows  Unit  littlo  Ify  little,  in  the  first  half  of  the  sixteenth 
century,  this  same  ahumhuu'e  of  dye-wood  has  caused  the 
name  of  Terra  de  Santa  Cruz,  given  by  Cabral,  to  he  t-hanged 
into  the  Terra  de  Brasit\  '  changenient  ins])ir(3  jtar  le  demon, 
(lit  rhistoriographe  JJarros,  car  le  vil  hois  (jui  teint  le  drap 
en  rouge  ne  vant  }ias  le  sang  vcrsc:^  pour  not''e  salut.'  So 
from  the  Asiatic  Archipelago  the  name  Brasil  has  j)asscd 
to  a  ca})e  of  the  island  of  Terccira,  and  then  to  the  southern 
shores  of  the  Xcw  Continent." 


CONTENTS. 


CHArTER    I. 


'';':) 


THE    TROVINCE   OF    lUO    DE   JANEIRO. 


r.ujE 


Tlio  Scrra  do  Miir.  —  Tlio  Serra  <la  Miiiiti(ineira,  and  tlio  Pico  do  Itatiaioe^su. — 
'\'\w,  Kiu  I'araliyba  do  Sul  and  its  Triluitaries.  —  Description  of  tiie  Bay  ol' 
Kiel,  its  Islands,  Tides,  &c. —  The  Sugar-Loaf. —  The  Corcovado. —  The 
(.UH'i^s  (if  Kio. —  I'he  Orf^aii  Mountains.  —  (ieoio<^ical  ObstTvatJons  along 
till'  Cantagallo  Hailroad. —  l)ril't  I'lienoniena  at  llio,  Tijuca,  and  on  the  Doni 
redro  II.  K'ailroad. -- DccomiJositioii  of  Gneiss  in  situ  and  its  lltlect  on  the 
I'ornisot' the  Hills.—  Keeent  IJise  of  the  Coast. — Tiie  Coast  Ijetween  liio  and 
Cape  Frio,  its  Lakes,  .Salines,  &c.  —  Cape  Frio.  —  Os  lUizios.  —  IslamU  uf 
Santa  Anna.  —  Frade  de  .Macahe. —  Campos  dos  Gciitacazes,  their  Lagoons, 
Canal,  vS:i'.  —  liio  I'arahylia.  —  Sao  .loao  da  Harra.  —  Sugar  IMantations. — 
City  of  Canlp'^s.  —  The  Kio  .Murialic  —  Tertiary  Iied>.  —  Sugar  I'azemia.s.  — 
Sfio  Fiilelis. —  Till'  (lold- .Mines  of  Cantagallo.  —  Cieohigieal  Notes  on  the 
Coiuitry  l)etween  Sao  Fidelis  and  Honi  .lesus.  —  Tiie  IJio  Itabajmana  — The 


Serra  d'ltabajiuana.  —  The  Garrata 


IJarra  do  Itabapuaua 


CHAPTEU    II. 


PROVINCE    OP    ESPIRITO    S.VNTO. 


Darreiras  do  .Sirf.  —  Itap(''mprini.  —  Coast  between  Itapemerlin  and  Renevente. 

—  !!(  nevente.  —  (iuarapary  ;  Consoliijateil  Beach,  Corals,  &c.  —  Kio.Iecfi. — 
r>ay  i)f  Kspirito  Santo. —  Nnssa  Senlmra  da  I'enha. —  Victoria.  —  Decompo- 
sition of  Gneiss  an<l  Formatiiin  of  Mouhlers  of  Decomposition.  —  IJeeent  l!ise 
lif  the  Coast. —  Corals,  l^ic.  of  the  Hay  of  Victoria.  —  Ilio  Santa  Maria. — 
(icrman  Colonies.  —  Fi-heries.  —  Sand  I'huns.  —  Tertiary  I'la'.i  at  Carnpina. 

—  .Mestre  Alvaro.  —  Serra.  —  Nova  Almeida. —  Rio  Keis  Magos. — Santa 
Cruz.  —  Basin  of  the  Bio  Doce.  —  Description  of  the  River.  —  Ginindii  ;  its 
Ciilou}'  and  .\gricultnral  Re^ourci's.  —  I'orto  de  Souza.  —  Geology  of  Vicin- 
ity.—  Luxuriance  of  Vegetation  w\  the  Doce. —  Woods.  —  Game.  —  I'ran- 
cylvania.  —  Climate  of  the  Doce. — Linhares.  —  Lagoa  Juparanaa.  —  The 
Future  of  tlie  Doce.  —  American  Colonists.  —  Salt  Trade.  —  15arra  Secca.  — 
Sea-Turtles.  —  Consolidated  Beaches  and  the  Mode  of  their  Formation. — 
ClKiracter  of  Coast  between  tiie  Rivers  Doce  and  Sao  Matlieos.  —  Rio  Sao 
Matheos  described.  —  Geological  Features.  —  Fertility  of  its  Lamls.  —  Cocoa- 
I'alrns  and  their  Distribution. — City  of  Sao  .Matlieos.  —  Rio  Itahiinaii. — 
Clilfs  of  Os  LeiKi'oes.  —  Coast  between  Itahunas  and  liio  Mucury  . 


.\J.V 


CONTKNIS. 


ciiAr'i'Ki:   ill 


ri;in-ixci:  df  minas  gkuaks. 


IlK    MUCUllY    AND    JIXH'' riNlioNIIA 


BASINS. 


Till' na-iii  I'l' thr  Miicnry.  — Torto  Al.'^riv.  —  Description  of  tlic  Rivor  IioIdw 

if  l'"iin'-t   VcL'ctatidii. — Saiitii  Clara.  —  Miiias 

-•riio  I'inla.iclpliia  IJoa.l 

rt)|)Oi;ra|iliy  mid  Si  ill-  botwoi'ii 


Santa  Clara.  —  l.uxiiriaiu'o   i 


(icraiN  a  l.aml- 


il  Prnvitic'c.  —  Want  ul'  lloai 


md  tlie  MiK'in'v  Ciili)iiio>.  —  DiilVa-cMne   in 


till'  fortiav 


(inin>-  Laml-  wc-t  of  Santa  Clara. —  I'rucu.  iN  Dutch  ''  )1- 


Sdil-.  Cliniat.',  \-c.  —  riiihulclpliia  ami  ii.-  (icrnian  (.'ulunics. — (Ji-cat 


Fcrtilitv 


.Mucurv  l>a.-in  — Character  nf  Country  between   I'hilailel- 


jiliia  am!  the  lleail-wati  ,■-.  i 
—  The  Iiii)  I'lUii 


Tiinlo  ii 


if  tiie  Mneury.  —  I'Ik;  iSa-in  of  the  .Iciinitinhnnha. 

(Iriieral    tieiilii::ieal  Stnieture  nl'   the  .letiuitinhiinha- 

ters  ol'  the  Setulial,  their  Geulci^'ical   I'eatitn's 


11 


ead-wa 


('atin<'a  l-'ure-ts.  —  Ceulnsical    Kxcursinn   I'mni  the    Fa/enila  ile  Santa 


i; 


tci  Alto  iios  r, 


Ditlictiltv  (if  I'eiiloLrizini:  in  lirazil. —  I'iic  ilni- 


dlian  Camp 


,-.—  11 


le   Chapai 


las   lii'tween    Itiiiira  and   C:i 


,ao.  —  Tl 


10  {Tiv'at 


C  iihaii-.Vra>-naliv    Vallev. — Ma;inilieeiit    View  c)ver   the   Valley   from    tho 


CIki 


at  A^'na  da  N^va.  — (.'alhao  and  the  (ieiilniiv  o|   it 


icinitv 


—  Dc- 


-criiition  of  the  Cmintrv  hetwcen  Calhan  ami  Sin-nrii'i. —  The  Chapadas. — 


Mi 


Xova>.  its  Gcoloiiv.  (inld-Mine-,  \-e. —  Oci'iirreneo  of  (iuld  in  Drift. 


1-Mi 


if  the    Arraial   da  Chajiada  ;    their  f'.niier    Hie 


wiirk"i 
The  K 


1  out.  —  D 


ecoiiip'i-itiiMi  111  Clay 


Slates  ill  the  Minas  Novas  I 


iii.it   yet 

U'L'ioil.  — 


U'assuauv. 


riu;  Uio  .Iciiiiitinhonha  from  its  Con(liien<e  with  tho 


Arassiiahy   tu   the   Sea  de.-cribed  :    its   (ieoluiry,   Vei;ct;itioii,  Cuniuicrce. — 
The  Salto  Gramlo 125 


ruoviNcr- 

The  Tertiary  I, air 
tion,  >S;c.  —  Cull 
ll:e  Canal  joii 
I'lraidie-  and  lie 
.Montis  l'a«ciial. 
Santa  Criiz  ami 
L'lia  do  ISrac'i, 
.Manui'ovc  S\\  at 
—  The  Salt  Tra 
the  liio  I'lirdo 
I'riiico  Neiiw  ie 
(pii-ta,  I'o^snes, 
nil,-.,,,.  —  l.Moai 
Hay  of  Cainaini 
til  tln!  Uahia  dc 
Itaparica.  —  li'ii 
of  Kiver  li(do\v 
eulturui  In-titu 


ClIxVPTEll    IV. 


THE    ISLANDS    AND    (ORAL    UKKFS    OF    TIIF,    ABROMloS. 


Tlie  Geology  of  the  Alimlhos. — Trap-hed,  I'os^jl  IMitnts,  iVc.  —  Laml  Fauna 
and  Flora:  Spider-.  I.i/ariU.  and  Sea-Uirds.  —  Ti  ''iiiietery  of  the  Frijiato- 
Birds.  —  The  Whale  and  (iaroupa  Fi-heries.  —  Importance  ol"  these  Fisheries. 
—  The  mythical  I'.razilian  Kecf.  —  Tlie  (  'oi\il  i'eef-  and  <  'onsiilidaled  ISeaidies 
eont'oundeil  liy  Travellers  and  Writer-.  —  The  Author's  Discuvery  of  the 
i'lirto  ScLHiraii  Coral  Keef.  —  Coi-al-huildinfj  Corals  fnuud  almost  wholly  to 
tie'  north  of  Cajie  Frio.  —  Tin'  Friiii:iii!i  I'eef  of  Santa  ilarhara  ;  its  Struc- 
ture and  Life. —  Corals  I'oumi  on  the  l!iM'f. — Star-fisju's.  ()|ihiiirans,  iVc  — 
Ite-einldance  between  the  i'.chiiiodenus  of  tlu;  .\lirolhos  and  West  Indies. — 
The  Chapeiroe«.  —  The  Parcel  dos  Ahrolhos  ;  its  .Xpiiearancc  ;  forms  a  seri- 
ou-  Obstacle  to  N'iivijration.  —  Safe  Canal  we-t  of  the  Klands.  — The  I'aretd 
do-  I'aredes, —  The  I!ecif(!  do  Lixo.  —  It-  ;:reat  Fxteiit. —  The  Sulpmcrired 
Border  and  its  Coral  (irowth.—  Ilie  Coral  Fauna  of  l>ra/.il. —  The  Milje- 
pores  and  their  Stiiifiiis  I'ropiTties.  —  The  l!eef> nf  Timbebas.  Iiacolumi, 
I'orto  Se^ruro,  Siuita  Cruz,  Camaimi,  Bahia,  Maceio,  and  rorntimbnco. — 
The  Uoccas ITl 


1 


CONTKNTS. 


XV 


(!1[A1'TK1!     V 


rUOVlNiH    OK    n.MIIA.  — COAST    snl-TII    OF    8AO    .SAI.VAHOR. 


I  he  Tcrtiiiry  LiimU  hctween  the  Rivers  Miicnrv  uml  I'cniliyiio  ;  tlirir  N'cgot;!- 
IiDii,  (S:c.  —  ('iiloiiiii  LcoiioldiiKi  iiinl  :t>  (Jullri'  I'biitation-.  —  N'IIIm  X'irn^ii.  — 
l'l;t.!  C;iii:il  joining;  tlii'  llivi'fs  rcniliy|/r  ami  < 'afawilas. —  iMpriiiatinn  i'*' 
llruclii'-  and  lii'Mi'li  Hiiliius.  —  Cua>t  lii'twi'cii  Cariivcllas  and  I'drtn  Seiruri'. — 
M(Uitt!  l'a«('nal.  —  I'ortu  Scijuro  and  it>  h'tdjc,  or  Cunsdliilatcil  licadi. — 
Santa  Cni/.  and  it>  Ilt'ct'.  —  Coa-t  nurtliuard  tu  tlic  .li'qnitinlmnlia  ;  the  La- 
L't'ia  do  15rav",  Canipn-,  &(•. —  Tlu'  Canal  I'o-assi'i  and  tlii' llio  da  SaNa. — 
Mangrove  Swamps  hi't ween  the  .h'liuilinlinnlia  and  I'ardo.  —  Cainiaviciras 
—  Till'  Salt  'Iradf  nl'  tlii^  .li'([nitinliiinlia.  —  l)i'>cri])tiiin  (if  the  iuwiir  Part  iif 
till'  Hid  I'anlo  ;  Cacau  I'lantations,  iVc.  —  Coast  noi'thwaril  to  Illn'os. — 
rrinc<!  Ni'MW  ii'd's  ItotTJiition  of  tlu'  Coiinti'v  Ijctwrcn  lllicos  and  I'on- 
ipii-ta,  I'o-soc-,  and  Caclmrira  ;  tlu'  l-"oi'('>ts,  (.'ani|io-.  Social  I'lanl,-.  iVc. — 
nil,'.,,-..  —  liioaiid  La.^oa  Italiypc  —  Dcail  Coral  Hank-. —  l!io  das  Contas. — 
I'.av  of  Caniamu.  —  'I'nrva  l)i'|io-its.  —  N'illa  dc  Canianifi.  —  Coa>t  northwai'd 
td  the  Haliia  dc  Todos  or  Santos.  —  The  l>ay  oi'  All  Saints  de^cril'rd-  —  illia 
Ita|iarifa.  —  IJio  .lauiniripe  and  Xa/.arfth.  —  l!io  l'araj:nas-u.  —  l)cM'ii|iti"n 
df  llivcr  li(do\v  Caclioeira. — The  Train-i'oarl.  —  Sant'  Ainaro  and  the  A^ri- 
.■ultural  In-tilute 21'j 


I 

•Ik 


.  CHAPTER    VT. 

THE  SAO  I'UAXcisco  r.Asix. 

ho  F.xi>ldration=!  of  Ilalfeld,  Liais,  St.  .Idhn.  Allen.  Ward,  Hnrton,  iS:o.  —  C,en- 
eral  Shape  of  the  I>a^iii. —  Its  unifdrni  Width. —  The  Nad  I'ranei-rd  \'alley 
hdlld'Acd  ont  of  a  Series  of  iiorizdntal  lieds  of  Limestone  and  Sandsfme. — 
The  Chapadas. —  The  so-ealled  "  Serra"  sei)aratin,i,'  the  Sao  l''i-aiu'i-ed  tVuni 
the  Tdcantins  I'.a-in  an  irre.Lrular  Strip  or  Tahle-land  df  Sandstone  —  The 
Serra-  of  Araripe  and  Dons  Irmao-. — Talile-topped  Hills  in  the  \  alley  of 
the  Sao  l'"i-anei-eo:  Outlier-  of  the  Chap;\das.  —  l)oulits  ahout  the  .\>j.v  of  thi' 
Sand-tones  and  I.imc-tone-;.  —  Limestones  <<{  the  Kio  das  \'elhas.  —  h'emains 
iif  I'.xtinct  (^uadrupecis  in  Mrazil.  spol<en  <f  hy  C;i/al,  Spix  and  Martin-.  \e. 
—  Clan-sen's  |)i-eoveries  in  the  <^aves  at  Cnrvelo. —  Dr.  Lund's  exhan-tivc 
I!e-earelies  at  La^'oa  Santa.  —  Caves  de-erihed;  their  Xiunher,  Lxtent.  Sta- 
hutites  and  l)epo-it-of  l'>ones  in  Saltpetn'  Karth.  —  Imnien-e  (Juantitie-  of 
small  Bones  liroUi;ht  in  l>y  Owl-,  >S:e.  —  I.artre  Xunil)erdf  l"ds-il  Aniniid-  dis- 
coveied  hy  Lund.  —  Former  l-'.xi-tenee  df  Meuathei-ia,  .Mylodons,  Ma-todons, 
inmiense  ,\rniadillds  ami  Cats,  Horse-,  iS;e.,  in  lira/.il.  —  IJeuiaiiis  ol'  a  Race 
of  Man  of  hiu'h  .Vntiipiity.  —  lieinhardt's  ( lenerali/.atioiis.  —  'I'he  I!io  de  Sao 
I'ranci-eo  of  the  Sixteenth  Cla--  aiUdUj;  the  llivers  of  the  World,  hut  third 
in  Itank  in  I'.razil.  —  (leneral  heseription  of  the  Stream.  —  Its  Atllnents, 
the  Ilids  l'ar:i,  Paradpelia,  and  Das  \'elhas.  —  'I'he  Iiid  das  \'elhas  ahme 
eapahle  df  hein.ij;  uiade  naviualde  I'di'  Sleauiei-s,  —  Tin'  San  I'raueised  iiavi'ja- 
l)le  with  hut  fi'w  InterriiptidUs  t'dr  twd  hundred  and  sixtv-four  Leag\ies  helnw 


XVI 


CUNTKNTS. 


tlir  i;i..  .1:1^  Vi'Ur.i-.  —  ("M>t  of  •.•ciiKiviii^'  (th-tnictiniis.— I'ropnsi'il  Riiilway 
from  .loii/cii-M  tu  l'ir,iiili:i>.  —  I'fi-tility  of  l.ow  Luiul-Mtf  SAt^  rraiicisou  Vul- 
li.'V.  —  Liai?'.- I'ictuie  of  the  Caiiiiio^ '-' * 


CH  ATT  Ell    VII. 

Tin:  rRoviNci;  (U'  ii.\m.\,  —  inteuior. 

Jouriicy-s  (it  Sjiix  and  MartiiiN  Nii"-lay  and  Laccrda,  AlK'ii,  a  id  ottuT  r,x|ilor- 
ov-,  —  (li'oliiLrical  and  iMiy>ioal  Features  of  Country  between  Mr.ll.ada  and 
Caehoeira.  deMTilied  by  Von  Martins.  —  Sand-tone.-.  —  Itcinain'^  <:\  Masto- 
don- founil  near  \illa  "do  l.'io  de  Conta^.—  lunnense  Copjier  ll.iulder  from 
Caelioeira.  —  Kev.  Mr.  Xieolay's  Iteport  ol'  .Inuriiey  from  Cacdioeira  to  tlie 
Cliajiada  l»ianiantina.  —  <  >e<'mTeiiee  of  Diamond-  in  Sand-tone-.  —  l.inie- 
,^t,,iie-.  — Sterile  Plains.  —  Dianiantiferons  Sand-  of  the  Chapada.  —  f he 
Diamond  Mines  of  Sineora  and  !,eneoe>.  —  .\!nina!  Vudduflhe  I'rovinees  ii 
])j.,„i,„i,l.;._  Mr.  Allen's  lieport  of  a  .lonrney  tVom  C'hiiiue-Chiiiue,  vu' 
Jaeohina  to  Caehoeira.—  Country  hetween  t:hii|ue  Cliii|ue  and  .laeolmia  an 
inunense  Limestone  {'lain. —  1  he  ("liajiada  at  daenldna  a  detaeiied  llat- 
toiipeil  Ma-s  of  Sand-tone. —  (inei-s  Hills.  —  "Lake  I'lain."  east  of  .laeo- 
bina.  —  Knoh-.  —  I'othoh'-,  prohaidy  of  ( iiaeial  <  )riLrin.  —  l-!astern  Sand-ton(5 
I'lain.  —  Climate,  X'ei^elation.  i.V;r.  of  h'oute.  —  DitVerenet^  in  'l"o|io;;r;i[]liy 
between  (inei->  llefrinns  of  llahia  and  the  Mnetu'v  deseribi'd  and  aeeonnted 
for.  —  Former  ixrrater  F.xten-ion  of  Forests.  —  Von  Martius's  Deseri|ition 
of  the  Couiiti'v  lietwcen  (^aehoeira  ami  .Io,a/eiro.  —  Country  near  l'"eira  da 
Coneei(;ao.  —  Serra  do  l!io  I'eixe. —  IJio  Itaiii''uru. — Want  of  Kain  at 
(j>U(dmado<.  —  Si'rra  de  'linh;!.  —  Tamiue-  and  I'os-il  Hone-  near  Coehe 
«i'.\:rua.  l«arri;i;a  Mollr,  and  Nei;j:hliorhood.  —  .Njonte  Santo.  —  The  (li'cat 
Meteoroliti'  of  liemdeiro. —  l!oid\  Insi-i'i|itions.  —  Villa  Nova  da  IJamh.a. — 
.lo.a/eiro  to  he  the  Ti'rniinns  of  Bahia  and  Sao  l'"ranei-eo  li'ailroad.  —  I!io  de 
Salitre.  —  Salt  I.iek-.  —  Mr.  .Mien"-  Note  on  the  Salt  of  the  Sao  Franci-eo 
Valley.  —  Saltiietre.  —  (ieolo:.'y  of  Country  hetween  Carnnlianha  and  I'mh'!. 
—  Change  in  (ju(jluy;ieal  Structure,  Climate,  Vegetation,  «^c.,  beluw  Iriibu  .  204 


(lilos,  &c.  —  De 
Bed.s  of  I'liitufi 
Itemiiius.  —  Fo> 
—  ialioleiros  a 
raj)hy  of  the 
boleiros  of  the 
ritanga.  —  Cret 
goinlias.  —  Tert 


THE   PROVINC 


The  Province  of  ! 
\l-\\\.  —  Kstanc 
Dunes.  — 'I'he 
taeeous  Ik'ds  w 
stone  with  Ami 
Seln-amm  and 
of  the  Pontal.  - 
Nova  and  'ts  Ci 

—  Its  Conunerc 

—  Morro  do  Ch 
])Os,  Vepetatioi 
I'iranlias.  —  Co 
Narrow  (iorpe  i 
Description.  — 
and  Niaptra.  — 
Sao  Francisco 
Coast  of  tlic  1' 
City  of  Maceio 
and  Keefs  . 


CHAl'TKU    Vlir. 


I'liinixci:  III-    ijAin.\,  (iF.or.otiv  of  tiik  virixiTV  of   s.vo   s.vlv.vdok 

AND    Tin;    liMlIA    .\\|)    SAO    I'HA.M'ISCO    IlAlLliOAD. 

Topn;rv!iji]iy  of  the  Virinity  of  Sa'  Salv.ador  da  liahia.  —  The  T'ppcr  and 
Lower  Cities. —  'I'he  Population,  i*l'e.  —  The  Ilarlior.  —  The  Commerce  of 
the  City  aiKl  Province.  —  The  Climate.  \.-c,  —  '!' he  liahia  Steam  Navijiatioii 
Company.  — 'fhe  ilahia  ai  1  Sao  Franci-co  Pailroad.  —  The  Parauma-^u 
Ste.am  Tram-road. —  The  i<s   of    i'.ahia.  —  Decomposition.  —  Diit't    De- 

[io<its.  —  Con-olidiition  of  Picaehi'-.  —  Si(,;;c  L'.M'f  ;it  Hio  N'erinelho.  — 
RIown  Sands  eoveriiiLT  the  Drift  of  the  Hill-.— Mr.  ■Mlporf's  De-cription  of 
the  Cretaceon-  P>ed.- of  Mun-erratc  and  Platalorma.  —  Fo— il  Fi-he-,  Croco- 


Tlio  Limits,  Aror 
Soils,  &c.  —  Tl 
iiambuco  or  Re 
The  Stone  Reel 
part  of  the  ('o:i 
Tne  I'ernandni 
Line.  —  I-land 
1-land,  Cocoa-I 
scriptiun  of  tin 


CONTKNTS. 


XVll 


(lilcs,  &c.  —  Doseriplion  of  sovenil  Sj)0';ics  of  Fos-^il  Mnlln-«ks.  —  Ci-etficooti-; 
lU-ih  of  I'liitiironiiii  iiiiii  Vicinity.  —  I'rof.  Miirsli's  Notice  of  tlio  licptiiiiiii 
lU'iiuiiiis.  —  Fossil  Fislius  at  Agiiii  Coinpiidii.  —  Gneiss  iit  tlie  l{io  .loliiiniics. 
—  Tabolciros  and  Sand  I'lains  of  Camassari.  —  I'eciiiiaiitics  of  tiic  Topog- 
raphy of  the  'I'eftiary  Hills. —  Tubatingii  Clay.  —  Sand  I'lains  ami  Tu- 
bolciros  of  the  Iinbiivaliy.  —  Teat-IJog.  —  Dril't.  —  Diauioiid-washiiigs  at 
ritan^a.  —  Cictaceoiis  Strata  at  I'njuca. —  I'iassabas.  —  Cainiius  of  Ala- 
goiuhiis. —  Tertiary  Hills.  —  Character  of  Vegetation 


ayj 


C  HATTER    IX. 

THE   rROVIXCES   OF    SKIUiU'i:    AXU    ALAGOAS,    AND    THE    RIVER   SAO 
FUANCT.SCO    HELOW    THE    FALLS. 


The  ProviiH'o,  of  Serf;ipf».  —  Its  Division  into  Mittns  and  A(/restf.^.  —  The  Rio 
Real. —  Kstanna;  New  Red  Sandstone,  Sugar  IMantations,  &c.  —  Sand 
Dunes. —The  Rio  Vasabarris.  —  The  Riy  Cotinguiba.  —  Araeajii.  —  Cre- 
taceous Reds  w-th  Inoccranii  at  Sapucahy.  — Maroini  — Cretaceous  Lime- 
stone with  Aninionite.s.  —  "  l-'ossil  'i'urtles."  --  Sugar  IMantations.  —  Me-srs. 
Schramm  nml  Company.  —  Tiie  Rar  of  the  Sao  Franeisco.  —  Sand  Dunes 
of  the  Pontal.  —  Character  of  tiie  River  iielow  Peiu'do.  —  Aracare.  —  Villa 
Nova  and  'ts  Cretaceous  Sandstones.  —  The  (^ity  of  I'enedo  and  its  Geology. 

—  Its  Commerce  and  Fair.  —  Notes  on  the  I'irimlia  and  its  Habits.  —  I'rojini. 

—  Morro  do  Chaves  and  Cretaceous  Fossils.  —  Traipu.  —  Iron  Ore.  —  Cam- 
pos, Vegetation,  Cactuses,  &c.  —  Rao  de  Assncar.  —  Cattle  Fazendas. — 
I'iranhiis.  — County  flat  and  covered  l)y  Roiilders.  —  The  River  Valley  a 
Narrow  Gorge  in  a  Gneiss  I'lain.  —  Tlie  Falls  of  Paulo  Aironso.  —  Halfeld's 
Descriptio'i.  —  Liais's  Description. —  Comparison  between  Paulo  Allbn-o 
tmd  Niagara.  —  Mastodon  Remains  from  near  the  Falls.  —  Climate  of  the 
Sno  Francisco  beli>w  the  Falls. —  Steam  Navigation.  —  Character  of  the 
Coast  of  the  Province  of  Alagoas,  Smith  of  .Maceio. — 'fhe  Lagnas. — The 
City  of  Maccio  and  the  Geology  of  its  Vicinity.  —  Tertiary  Beds.—  Harbor 
and  Reefs 


376 


CHAPTER    X. 


PROVINCE    OF    rEUN'.VMnUCO. 

The  Limits,  Area,  Sec.  of  the  Province.  —  Its  Topography,  Geology,  Climate, 
Soils,  \:c.  —The  Rivers.  •-  Productions  of  the  Province.  —  The  City  of  Per- 
nambiico  or  Recife  —  Derivation  of  these  Name';.  —  Situation  of  the  City.— 
The  Stone  Reef.  —  The  I'ort  formed  by  it.  —  Shallowness  <i|'  Water  along  this 
jiart  of  the  ('oast.  —  Pernamliuco  a  Cidling  Station  for  Foreign  Slii|iping.  — 
Tne  i'ernanibuco  and  Sao  Franeisco  liailroad.  —  Table  of  Heights  along  the 
Line.  —  Island  of  Itamaraca.  —  Fossiliferons  Limestones.  —  Fertility  of  the 
I-land,  CocoM-I'alm  (iroves,  (.S:c.  —  Fernanilo  de  Noronha.  —  Darwin's  De- 
scription of  the  Geology  of  the  Island.  —  Its  Dryness  and  Sterility 


XVUl 


CONIKNTS. 


CH.VrTKR    XI. 

TiiK  ruoviNci':  ui''  i-auafiyilv  do  nortr. 

Limits  of  tliP  rrnvincc  —  TliP  Sen;!  or  I'l;itcu\i  (if  the  ('!iirin'>  Vdlinn,  — Tho 
Climatf,  I'l-iidui'lioii-,  <S;c.  of  tiie  I'luviiuf.  —  iMTtilc  I.iiihI-  fDiiml  only  iiloiip; 
the  Cuiixt.  —  i'lio  Kio  rnniliybii  do  Norte,  its  Niivijinbiiity.  —  ilie  City  of 
riiraliylia.  — 'IIk'  I'oiisojitliitcil  lifadi  at  tlit>  Mouth  of  tlic  Itivcr. —  Tlio 
liivi'i-  and  Town  of  .Manian;4uaiM'. —  lin'  Hfoloi;y  of  liio  Vii'inity  of  I'ara- 
livba. —  Crctact'ou-t  Liniu'tuiu'  witii  Ko^siU  —  OliM'rvatJons  <]f  I'rolV-xir 
A"a>>iz  and  Mr.  Williams. —  Mr.  Williani'^'^  Oliscrvations  on  tlic  (ii'oloi;y  of 
tlie  Countrv  Ijctwrt-n  I'araliyba  and  tlio  (iold-.Mini's  o|'  I'ianco.  —  Mode  of 
Oeciirreiico  of  tliii  Gold.  —  '•  Tlic  Tasso  15ra/.iliaii  liold-Mining  Coin|)any 
(Limilcd)" 440 


CHAPTER    XH, 

TUB    rnOVINCE   Ol^'    UIO    (iU.VNDH    DO    NORTE. 

Limits  of  tlio  Province,  its  Position,  Monntain,  and  I'ivcr  Systems,  Sn'.  —  Tlio 
L'io  Piranlias.  _  Ve<:ctation.  —  Prodiietions.  —  I'lie  Carnalinha  I'alni  and  its 
Uses.  — Cocliiiieal.  —  Ciittlo.  — Climate  —  Natal.  — tieolo^'v  of  the  I'rovince    451 


Tlio  Serrii  dos  I 
Oi)servutioiis  on 
referrinjij  the  gn 
iddy  'I'ertiiiry.  - 
("retaeeoiis  Hed 
nnd  till.  Cuin|ios 
of  tlie  Province, 


THE   PRO 

Snmlstonps  of  the 
jiliie  Ho('l<s.  —  (i 
inee.  —  li'ains.  — 
Mouth  ot  the  1{ 
of  tlie  Amazoni 
Amazonian  lied 
Aniuzoniiiu  V'all 


CHAPTER    XIII. 


n 


THE    rROVlNCR   OF   CEAR.V. 

Gpocrrnphioal  Position  n'  "  Limits  of  the  Provineo.  —  Tho  Serrn  da  Yhinpaha. 

—  Its  TopoL'raiihy  aiiu  (ie(ilo^dc;d  Structure, —  Serra  de  Araripe. —  Kiver 
Basins. —  (ieiicral  Sketeli  (jf  the  (;eoloi:y  of  the  i'rovini'e.  —  Climate. — 
Character  of  the  Soil.  —  Prodnetions. —  l^ity  of  Fortule/.a  — Population  of 
tho  Proviiiie.  —  liardner's  Sketch  of  the  (n'oloiry  of  Ceari'i. —  Character  of 
Country  in  the  \'icinity  of  Aiacaty. —  I)e-.crip;ion  ot'  Country  between 
Araeatyand  lei'i. —  Serra  de  Pereira.  —  Villa  do  Ico  and  Vicinity. — Country 
between  Tc6  and  Crato.  —  Gold  \Vashin<:s. —  Crafo.  —  Serra  de  Araripe. — 
Villa  da  IJarra  do.lardini.  —  Description  of  Possil  Fish  Locality.  —  I'lie  Mslies 
noticed  Ijv  Spix  and  Martins  ami  Others,  and  described  by  Professor  Afxassiz. 

—  Glacial  PlieiifinnMia  of  Vicinity  of  Fortale/.a  spoken  of  liy  Profej^.sor  Agas.siz. 

—  Mammalian  KemaiiLs.  —  Minerals.— ^h•t.Nlrolites 456 


The  Gpoprnphicnl 
palieira.  —  Geoh 
Serra  da  N'ativi( 
—  Strnctun!  of 
Subterranean  Si 
morphic  Rocks, 
lirazil.  —  The  > 
its  Navigation.  • 
Piranhas.  —  (lo' 
Po|iulation,  &c. 
undisturbed  Ho( 
a  Plain  witliout 


CHAPTER    XIV. 


PUOVIXCE    OF    riAi:HY. 


PROVINCES   01 


Geogrnphicnl  Position.  Limits,  &c..  of  the  Province  —  The  Rio  Parmihyba 
and  its  Tributailes.  —  De-eription  of  its  Basin.  —  (leneral  (Jeolou'lcal  Struc- 
ture and  Topography  of  the  i'rovince.  —  Table-topped  Hills  of  Sand.stouo. — 


Tiie  Serra  do  Mar 
Provinces  of  Sfi 
Streams  of  no  1 


CONTKNTS. 


XIX 


Tlif>  Scrni  dos  Poih  Irnmnos  ninl  Us  Stnictiiro.  —  Disrn««iori  of  Cinrdiicr'a 
DlKcivalidiis  on  tlio  (ii'olngy  of  I'iiiuliy  mul  ("rani.  —  (ianliior  mistaken  in 
rcl'iTriM^c  tlic  groat  Sandstone  Slicct  to  tlio  CrctaL-eoU!*.  —  Sandstones  prol)- 
iiMy  'I't'i-tiafy.  —  Tlicir  great  Kxti'iision  over  lirazil.  —  DistrilmtiiMi  ot' tlio 
("i-etari'ons  IJcds  in  Brazil.  —  Climates  ol'  I'ianliy. —  Tlii!  Cam|ios  .Mimusos 
niid  till  Cam|ios  Agrc^tcs. —  I'ccnliarities  of  tiieir  V'ogetation.  —  I'rodiictions 
of  tlie  Trovincc,  I'opulation,  t&c 473 


% 


CHAPTER    XV. 


TIIK    PROVINCES    OF    MAHANII.VO,    PAR.V,    ANM)    AMAZON'AS. 

Sandstones  oC  tlie  C()a>-t  of  Maraidnlo.  —  Tlie  Interior  composed  <>f  Metnmor- 
]iiiic  |{oci<s.  —  CoM-Mine-i  of 'I'uri  and  Maraca—nme.  —  Climate  of  tiie  I'rov- 
iin.,.. —  IJiiiim.  —  Citie-<  of  Maraiihiui.  (^axias,  iS:e.  —  I'ororuea  or  jinre  at  tlio 
Mmitli  of  tlie  Kiver  Mearini.  —  Professor  Agassiz's  Sketeli  of  the  (leology 
of  the  Amazonian  VaUey.  —  Hi-*  Theory  of  the  Moile  of  Depo-ition  of  the 
Amazonian  Redi.  —  Discussion  of  this  (Question.  —  Cretaceous  Kocks  in  tiio 
Amazonian  Valley 484 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

TROVIXCES    OV    (iOYAZ    AM)    MATTO    GUOSSO. 

The  Georrraphicnl  Position  of  the  Province  of  Goynz.  —  Tlio  Cliapada  ila  Man- 
palieira.  —  (ieoloixy  of  tlie  Vicinity  of  N'atividade.  —  (Jold-Washings  of  tlio 
Serra  da  N'atividade,  the  Arraial  da  (^liapaihi,  and  the  Arraial  tla  Conceieao. 
—  Strnetiire  of  the  Serra  at  the  Town  of  Arrayas. —  The  Serra  (ieral. — 
Snhterrane:in  Streams.  —  Western  mid  Southern  Goyaz  compo-^ed  of  Mcta- 
morphic  Rocks. —  Di^trilnition  of  Gnei^sosp  and  Granite  Hock-;  in  Western 
llrazil.  — 'I'lie  Monies  Pyrencos  ami  their  Height. —  The  I!io  Araguaya  and 
its  Navigation.—  Dr.  ('onto  do  Miigalhnos.  —  Ilha  do  Hananal.  —  Note  on 
Piranhas.  —  Gold,  Diamonds,  Iron,  and  Chrome  Ores.  —  Climate,  Forests, 
Poi>ulatioii,  &c.  —  The  We-t(-rn  Part  of  the  Plateau  of  Brazil  composed  of 
midi^tnrhed  Ho<N  of  Sandstone.  Cic—  The  Amazonas-Paruguay  Water-shed 
tt  Plain  without  Serras 406 


t 


CHAPTER    XVII. 


rilOVINCES    OF    SAO    PAULO,    PAUAX.C,    SANTA    CATIIARIXA,    AND    RIO 

GKANHK    DO    SUL. 

The  Serra  do  Mar  of  Sao  Paulo  a  Plateau.  —  Its  Character.—  Drainage  in  the 
Provinces  of  SAo  Paulo  and  Paransi  to  the  Westward.  —  Kastward-flowing 
Streams  of  no  Importance  —The  Sfio  Paulo  IJailroad.—  De-cription  of  the 


XX 


CONTKNTS. 


rnnnrrv,  nloiij;  the  nuilwny  bptwcen  Sinifiw  mid  Silo  rimin  liy  Miijor  0.  C. 
j.i,ii,.H."_  (icoio^ry  uf  Vicinity  ol'  Sfm  TaiiUp.  —  Mnwo's  l)i'»i'riptii>ii  ..I"  tlio 
(lolil-Miiioor  .lani^'ua,  aii.l  till'  M.'liio.i  ..f  fxtnictiiij;  tlic  (icl.l.  —  (.'uuiitry 
we.xtwiiril  til  ('ain|iiims.  —  Iniii-Miiii's  iit  YiPiiiifiiiii.  —  Scrrii  Ani^M.iMva  m- 
(iiiaiiivoiiiva.  ~<'liiiiato,  I'nuliicts,  &o.  ol' tiio  I'roviiice  ol'  SAo  I'aiiio. — 
(IcuiTal  li.iMP^rai.Jiii'al  i'oatuivs  of  the  i'mvliicu  of  I'araiiiv,  its  enimuto, 
rniductloii!*,  \-o.  — .Matte  or  l'ani>;uiiyan  I'fa.  —  riM-riaiitiu;;  in  I5ra/.il. — 
Ilivi.is.  —  Cnlmiifs.  —  I'arauagiia.  — C'lai  Ua>iM  uu  tlif  Ki«  Tiilicrilo  in  tlio 
I'luviin'c  of  Santa  Catiiuriim.  —  (ii'iu'iai  Di'^iTiptinii  <if  tin'  l'iiy>ii'ai  FfiituriM 
of  tlie  I'rovini'o  and  tiiat  of  l!i(>  (inimli'  do  Siii.  —  lli>tory  of  tiic  Coal-Minc.-i 
of  IJnizil  —  Oli-orvatioiis  of  l'i'ri;;ot,  llouk-ii'li.  Avi'-Laili'iiiaiit,  I'laiit,  iVf.— 
Dt-criiitiou  of  til.'  (.'oal-l''ii'lds  of  tiie  ItiviT  .lay;uiirAo.  —  Kujiineor  Mctiiiity's 
lit-poi't  oil  the  Ciiiuliota  Coal. —  Coal  15a>iu  on  liiu  Sao  St'pi'.  —  lla.-iii  near 
Jjao  Jeroiiviiiu fJOS 


CHAl'TEIi    XVIII. 


THE   GOLU-MINKy    OF    lillAZIL. 


Gfoloirical  Di<ti'ilmtion  of  Gold  in  Brazil.  —  fiolij  in  (Jnci^s  it  JnrafrtiA, 
Caiita;;alln,  I'iaiu'o,  and  cl^cwlaTi'.  —  flie  rii'lio-t  Di-po-its  found  in  Vfiii;! 
travcivinj;  Clay  Slates.  —  Cliaraeter  of  Anriferoiis  (Quartz.  —  Granular 
Quartz,  or  Cacu.  —  (iold  when  iis>ociat('d  with  Sulphides  rarely  viMJile. — 
The  auriferous  Iron  Ore.  .lacutinga.—  (Jold-Mines  of  Sao  .lofio  d'Kl-l!ei.— 
The  .Morro  Vellio  .Mine.  Mode  of  Oeeurrcnee  nf  the  (Jold,  .MetlKxl  of  Kxtrac- 
tioii,  Yield,&e.  —  The  <loni;o  .Suco  Mine.  —  The  IJossa  (Jraiide  (iolil-Miiiin;; 
Coni|iany.  —  Mines  at  Morro  de  Santa  .\ima,  Coii^;oiihas  do  Catnpo,  Sao  Vi- 
cente, Cata  Branca.  —  The  Gokl-.Mines  of  IJrazlI  not  yet  f.iirly  developed      . 


632 


CIIAPTEH    XIX. 


RESUMK   OF    THE   OEOI.OfiY    OF    nil.VZIL. 


Ko7.()ic  Ttoeks  and  tlieir  Distrihution  in  I'razil.  —  Ah-^enco  of  I,iniP«tnno«, — 
The  Silurian  Ajro  in  Brazil.  —  The  auriferous  Clay-Slatps  of  Minus  proliahly 
Lower  Siluri.'in.  —  Note  on  the  Silurian  of  the  Andes.  —  'i'he  l)i^tril>ution  of 
Marine  .\nini:ds  in  the  I'ahcozoie. —  The  Devnninn  .\<n'  in  Brazil  and  South 
America. —  The  Carhouiferous  of  Brazil  ami  Bolivia.  —  The  New  lied  Sand- 
stone.—  'l"lie  ('ret:ieeoiis,  it«  Di-trihution  in  lirazil  and  South  America. — 
Several  di^tinet  Periods  repre-^ente<l.  —  Tertiary  iloeks.  —  Drift.  —  The  Ghi- 
clal  Plionomena  <if  I'atafjonia. —  Tapanhoncaiipa. —  I'he  Drit^  of  IJio  and 
of  the  Hefrioii  of  Decomposition.  —  The  Drift  of  the  Dry  Iiei;ion  of  Bahia, 
Sei';:i))0,  and  Ala'.'oas, —  Examination  into  the  Merits  of  the  various  'i'heriries 
proposed  to  aeeoniit  for  the  rorinatioii  (jf  the  I'.razilian  Drift.  —  The  Theory 
of  Siihaerial  Deefunposition. — Wave  .Xction  dnrinj;  a  Suh~ideiu'n. —  Wave 
Aetioii  dnriiifx  Klevation. —  All  these  Theories  unsatisfactory.  —  The  Glacial 
Hypothesis  the  most  reasonable 


147 


CONTENTS. 


XXI 


ArrKXjjix. 


ON    THE    BOTOCUDOS. 


Ori;^in  of  tlio  Nninn  Rotncudo.  —  Stutiiro.  —  I'liysiciil  I'onniuul  Cliimictcrisfics. 
—  Marnier  of  Wearing  Hair.—  Lip  and  Kar  Oriiaiin'iits.  —  I'rofossor  Wyinaii's 
Doscriptii'ii  of  Skull  of  I^ituciul )  fnuii  SAi'  Matlu-os. —  Cumparisdii  witli 
(itliiT  (U'>orilH'il  IJotociiili)  Skulls.  —  (Joliir  of  IJutocudo. —  Maimer  of  Painting 
tlio  Hoily.  —  Dislikt)  to  iicing  elotlioil.  —  Hows  mid  Arrows  deseribod. — 
(lerber's  Knuiiieraticiu  uf  mo  'I'rilies.  —  Vmi  'I'-cIiudi's  |)eseription  of  tlio 
'I'rilies. —  llaiielios  and  Hui-  — I'ood.  —  .Mddu  of  procuriiif;  Fire.  —  Maim- 
faetures  — Marriage  OustoiiiH.  —  Tlio  BotoeudoH  cruel  Husbands. —  Facility 
witli  wlii'li  WouikIh  Ileal. — Treatment  of  Children.  —  Iteligious  Ideas. — 
Uelief  in  the  Ha<l  Spirii,  .lanclion.  —  No  Helief  in  a  Siiprenie  (iod.  —  IJurial 
Ciistonis.— War  (Ju.Htoms.  —  Caniiibalisin.  —  Dance.  —  The  Hotocudos  fast 
(li>appearing.  —  Hotocudo  Cliaracter.  —  (ieograpliical  Distribution  of  tlio 
l.otocudos.— Peculiarities  of  tlieir  Language,  Pronunciation,  Grannnatical 
Structure,  &c.  —  Uotocudo  Vocubularies 


577 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


CoAL-RkpS  on  Rio   CaNDIOTA,   Pio   GltANni:   I>0   SlI.  .  .  .     Frontispiece. 

Mai-  ok  1'ai;t  o\'  Pijdvinck  ok   I\ii)  hi;  .Iankiko ive    o 

TiiK  Sf(;Ai!-Lo\r",  Co1!<-ovai>(>,  am>  (Jwia,  kisom  Sao  Domin<io  . 

SkcIION    at    I'liAIA    GltAM>E 

THK    OlH^ANS 

Skcfion  ai,on(;  riiK  Lim:  ok  tiik  CAxrA(iAi.i,o  Hailkoad. 

TlIK    CasCATI.NITA    at    TlJLCA 

SkCIION    ok    DlilKT    AT    UliNNKTT'S,    TlU'CA 


BoiM.DKKS    AT   Tl.UTA 

Idkai.  Section  ok  DHiKT-rovKiMD  (Jnkiss  Hill    .... 

DlAOKAM     TO    SHOW     CoNTKAST     IN     .MulLOlNli     UKTWEEX     Dl{lKT-((.)V 

AND  Hai:k  Skkkaoks 

Coast  ,ilst  East  of  liu) 

Cai'k  Fitio • 

Onk  ok  the  Islands  ok  Santa  Anna 

FltAUE   DK   Ma(  AIIl' 


EKED 


LooKINO    11'  THE    l;iO    I'AIlAIIVIiA    KK 

The  1'edi!A  Lisa         .        .        .        . 


>M    AUOVE    CaMI'OS 


Si;i:i!A  OK  Itai'kmeki.m,  sekn  k 
Coast  Soktii  of  tiLAKAi-Aitv 


uo.M    Till-:  Si;.v 


Bay  ok  P;si'i:ito  Santo,  li 


oiviN(i  rv  TO  TIIK  Pao  dk  Assltah,  and 


•  )F  VicroiiiA 


M 


OI.TE   .llTLiJI-AUA    AND    (JnKInS    IIiI.L: 


NEAI!    V 


UroKIA 


FoUTALK/.A    DE    PeKITININO A 
BOKLDEK   OK    I)E(().'      i)SITION,    VlCTolilA 
DeCOMI-OSINO    SlUKACK,    I|,}|0    do    15(11 
NOSSA    SeNIIOHA    da    PeNHA,    Vi(  TOI'.IA 

Ancient  Ska-Level  on  Pao  d'A,>. 


^ccAi:,  Vi 


(TOIilA 


Akkaxokment  ok  L 


ittokai,  Fakna  Ar  \ii.la  Veliia 


MoUHO    DE    MesTI!E    AlVAKO 

Coast  between  Victokia  and  I!io  Dock 
Rio  Dock  at  Poistcj  de  Sokza 
View  on  Rio  I)oce 


Look 


iNu  LI'  THE  Dock  eho.m  neak  Liniiahes 


City 


10 
IG 


28 
30 
81 


3t 

37 
39 


43 
49 
54 
58 
CI 


60 
67 
68 
69 


70 


73 


92 


94 


97 


Laoua  JuPAIIAN/' 
LAtiuA  DO  Aviso 
I'a/.enda  ok  Ca; 
Sama  Pita  I!iv 

ColtliOiATED  (iV 
INLAND   OK    SaNT, 

liiE  Islands  ok 
Recife  do  Lixo 
Se(Tion  achoss 
Pkoeile  Sketch 
Monte  Pascoal 
Section  ackoss 
Bays  ok  Santa 

\  IKW   OF   THE    Ci 

>L\r  OF  Camami 
^LvI'  OF  pAiir     ; 

(iUOU.NO    \'IE\V  O 

Section  <)K  Rio 
View  ok  N'alle 
Knoks  neak  Tin 
Sections  of  se 

Railkoad 
Teihiaky  Hills 
The   TAiioLKiitoi: 
Sani)-I)1!nes  at 
Bar  ok  l.'io  Cot 
JLvuoiM  . 
Villa  Nova  ani 

TUAII'l?  KKOM  NI 
LoOKINCi    DOWN   ■ 

Cattle  1'a/.i;ni> 
\'iEw  NEAK  All 

View  i kinci  i 

Cacuoeika  he  1 
I'ehnamiuco  . 
Island  ok  1'ekn 
MocTii  OK  Rio  1 
Sketch-Mat  ok 
MocTii  OF  Rio  ( 

CuTTINd     ON      Tl! 

Decomtosed  I 
P.oTocLDo  ^L\^' 
Skull  of  Boiot 


LIST    OF   ILLUSTRATIONS. 


XXUl 


I  AdoA    .lUPAIlANAA,    IX)OKINO   TOWAUDH    TIIK    Oi:TM:T 

LAiiiiA  DO  Aviso 

1  A/.KNI>A    OK    CaMTO    KkDONDO,    Sao    MaTIIKOH 

Sama  IkiTA  liivKu  Valley 

(  iiiti{r<iATKi>  (^UAHT/.  \'i;l\s  AT  Mlnas  Xovah 

INLAND  OK  Sama  Bauuaua  dos  Ahholiios 

Till.  Islands  ok  tiik  Ahuolhos  kkom  the  Soltii 

Iv'KciKK  no   Lixo 

SixTioN  Acitoss  HonoKU  OK  Lixo  Ukek 

I'KOKILIC    SkETLII   ok    IIIVEU    \'ALLI:V    NEAR    PoHTO    SeGIKO 

Monte  I'asc.'oal  kuom  the  Ska 

Se(  TioN  achoss  Stone  Keek  at  I'omo  Sec;uuo 

Bays  ok  Santa  Cia;/.  and  Cahkai 

\  uw  OK  THE  Coast  Soi;th  ok  the  Kio  de  Contas 

Mai-  ok  ("amamO  Bay 

Ma1>  ok   I>Alir      AND    Vh^inity 

(iuoiNi)  View  ok  the  Lapa  Vermelha 

SE(  TIO.N   ()K    liIO    Sa()    FllANCISro    \^VLLEY        .... 

View  ok  Valley  Walls  near  Jacoiiina        .        .        .        . 
Knohs  near  the  Serra  da  Terra  Dira    .... 
SirnoNs  of  several   Clttings  on  the   Bahia  and    Sao 

IiAILKOAD 

Teutiary  Hills  near  Tojl'ca  Ti'nnei 

The   Tarolkiros  near  Alacioinhas 

Sand-I)1!nes  at  the  Moi'th  ok  the  IUo  Heal 

Bar  ok  1!io  Cotinuuiha 

Maroi'm 

ViLi.A  Nova  and  Pe-nedo 

TuAirl'    KROM    NEAR    MaR('A<;AO 

LooKiNi;  down  the  Kiver  krom  Tao  d'Assucar 
Cattle  Fa/enda  and  Garden  near  Fao  d'Assucar  . 

\'ii:w  NEAR  Alleoria 

View  lookincj  1 1-  towards  Piranhas      .... 

Cai  lloEIRA    DE    I'AULO    AkKOXSO 

1'ernamiuco 

Island  ok  Fernando  de  Xoronha        

MoriH    OK    I!lO    I'ARAHYllA    DO   NoRTE  .... 

Sketch-Mai-  ok  the  Kio  I'AKAiivitA  do  Norte. 
MoiTH  OK  Kio  (Jrande  do  Norte 

ClTTINd     ON      THE      SaO      1'ALLO     KaILWAY,    SHOWING     DrIKT 

Decomposed  Hock     .....••• 
BorociDo  Man  and  Woman  .....■• 
Skull  ok  Hotocldo     


Fii 


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LY 


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103 
120 
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371 
3V6 
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382 
38-1 
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411 
412 
413 
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uinaaiiiiawi*' 


GEOLOGY  A\D  PnYSICAL  GEOGRAPHY  OP 

liRAZlL. 


CUArTER    I. 

THE  rnovixcE  of  rig  de  jaxeiro. 

The  Scrra  do  Mar.  —  Tlio  Sm\a  da  Mantiqucira,  and  tlio  I'ico  do  Itatiaio-sii.  — 
Tlie  liio  riirahyl)a  do  Sul  and  its  Trilmtarics.  —  Di'scription  of  tlie  IJay  of 
l!io,  its  Islamls,  Tiilos,  iS-c.  —  Tlie  Siip;ar-Eoaf.  —  'I'lie  Corcovado.  —  Tlic 
(I'iK'iss  of  Ikio.  —  Tlic  Or;,Mu  Mouiitaius.  —  (iuoloirical  OI)servations  aloiii;- 
llic  Canta^^alio  Kailroad.  —  Drift  I'licnoineiia  at  Hio,  Tijiu-a,  and  on  tlu' 
Dom  l\'dro  II.  Kailroad.  —  Ducoinposition  of  (iueiss  //(  ,s////  and  its  Ktl't'ct  on 
tlie  Forms  (if  tlie  Hills.  —  Recent  Rise  of  the  ('(jast.  —  Tlic  Coast  Iietweeii 
Ikio  and  Cape  Frio,  its  Laiscs,  vSalines,  &c. —  Cape  Frio.  — ()s  Huzios.  —  Isl- 
ands of  Santa  Anna.  —  Frade  dc  Maeahe.  —  CaiM])osdos  Goitaca/os,  tlieir  La- 
goons, Canal,  &e. —  Riol'arahyha. —  Sao  Joaoda  IJarra. —  Siiuar  Plantations. 

—  C'ity  of  Campos.  —  The  Rio  Muriuiie.  —  Tertiary  I5c(ls.  —  .SiiL:ar  Fnz('n<las. 

—  Sao  Fidelis.  —  The  Gold  Mines  of  Cantatrallo.  —  Gcolouieal  Notes  on  the 
( 'onntry  between  Sao  Fidelis  and  Bom  Jesiis.  —  Tlie  Kio  Itahapuana.  —  The 
Serra  dTtabapuana.  —  The  Garrafao.  —  Barra  do  Itabapuana. 

The  province  of  Rio  dc  Janeiro  is  almost  entirely  com- 
posed of  gneiss,  and  this  gneiss  region  is  monntainons  and 
liigli.  The  .^erra  do  ^far,  skirting  the  coast  of  the  province 
of  Suo  Paulo,  enters  the  southwest  corner  of  the  province  of 
Rio,  and,  composed  of  a  great  numher  of  parallel  ridges, 
often  much  l)rokcn,  traverses  it  from  one  end  to  tlio  other. 
These  mountains  form  the  edge  of  the  great  Brazilian 
plateau,  which  consists  along  its  eastern  ])order  of  a 
hroad  band  of  gneiss.  The  course  of  the  Serra  do  ]\Iar  is 
approximately  east-northeast,  so  that,  as  the  coast  of  the 

VOL.    I.  1  A 


P 


2  GEOLOGY    AN'D    IMIVSICAL    GKOGRAIMIV. 

])i'r)viiirn  of  Rio  de  Jnnoiivj  runs  oastward  IVom  Sao  Paulo 
to  Cape  I'rio,  llic  Serra  do  Mai',  on  ciitci-iiiu'  the  in'ovinco 
of  l{i(),  trends  uTadnally  away  IVoiu  the  coast,  passiuii'  l»y 
tlie  lif'iid  of  tlu'  l>av  of  l^io.  T\\c  u'liciss  iilatcau  is  Itor- 
dcrcd  in  the  eastern  j)art  of  the  ])rovince  Ity  low  plains, 
tertiary  and  i-ecent.  Tlie  minor  ridu'es  of  the  grand  Scrru 
do  Mar  hi'eak  down  al^rnptly  on  llic  edue  oi"  these  hjw 
grounds.  In  tlic  wcstei-n  part  oC  the  ])rovinee,  where 
the  Serra  skii'ts  the  coast,  that  coast  is  often  hiuh,  hold, 
veiT  irregular  in  outline,  and  liorch'red  hy  numerous  rocky 
islands.  South  of  tlu;  Sei'ra  do  !Mar,  at  Rio,  lie  several 
isolated  mountains  and  ranges  of  hills,  really  Ixdouging 
to  the  same  great  mountain  system,  hut  scjtarated  from 
the  }(lateau  Ijy  low  plains  similar  to  those  north  of  Cape 
Frio. 

To  the  northwest  of  the  Serra  do  Mar,  and  se})arated 
from  it  in  jiart  by  the  valley  of  the  river  Parahyba  do  Sul, 
is  another  great  mountain  range  called  the  Seira  da  ]Man- 
tiqneii'a,  which  is  also  composed  of  gneiss,  and  lielongs  to 
the  same  system  of  ui)hcaval  as  the  Seri-a  do  ]\Iar.  This 
ranffc  sei)arates  itself  from  the  coast  ranu'e  near  the  citv  of 
Sao  Paulo,  and,  lying  inside  the  Serra  do  ]\Iar,  skirts  the 
coast  to  a  much  greater  distance  to  the  north  than  the 
latter  does.  The  ridge  properly  called  the  Serra  da  ^hm- 
tiqueira  accompanies  the  northern  part  of  the  province  of 
Rio  for  a  few  miles,  when  the  province  boundary  line 
leaves  it  and  runs  off  to  the  eastward. 

At  a  distance  of  four  or  five  miles  from  the  northwest 
corner  of  the  province,  in  the  Serra  da  Mantiqueira,  is  the 
Pico  do  Itatiaiossu,  which  appears  to  be  the  highest  point 
in  Brazil,  and,  according  to  the  Ren'sta  Triwvnsnl  do 
Institulo    liistorico   c    Gcographico    Brasilciro,  has  an  al- 


TIIF.   I'lioVINCE   OF   RIO   DK   JAXKIHO. 


titndo  of  .'iltoiit  1i),:!<tO  IW\*  It  is  said  to  lif  vnlrnnic  in 
stni('tiii'(>,  iind  two  ci-ntcM's  aro  rojioi-tcd  to  exist  on  it.  to- 
ii-ctlicr  with  siilplmr  sprinu's  and  snlplinr  deposits.!  I  litnc 
ncvoi-  scon  the  Itatiaiossu,  Itnt  I  lia\e  tlie  stronucst  doiil't 
as  t(j  its  lioinir  a  volcano.  Snow  occasionally  talis  on  lliis 
lin  dm'inu  tlic  winter,  and    is  said  to  remain   sonie- 


nioim; 


tunes  lor  se\eral  (lavs 


1  di 


T] 


icro  can  lie  no  rcasonai»le  < 


Inlllit 


aliout  this  licing'  the  hiuhest  ])eak  in  IJrazil.  Jtacolmnf, 
so  lonir  lamed,  is,  according-  to  IJnrton,  only  aliont  (),10() 
leet  in  hcitiht.  According  to  Eschwcgc,  this  last  ])eak  is 
'>.l-20  feet;  (Jerher  says  1,112  nietn^s  (-'.OoO  tect )  :  wliih; 
the  hiuhest  iioint  cited  1)V  (Jcrlior  is  the  Alto  da  Serra  da 
Piedade.  in  the  ;Munici])io  dc  Saliara,  which  Liais  makes 
only  l,7!^-5  metres  {i'),^,')^^  feet).  Clnrdiier  estimates  the 
licijiht  oi'  the  Orcran  Mountains  at  IVom  7S>W)  to  7.^00 
feet.  It  is  interesting  tt)  ohserve,  as  l]urton  has  remarkrd, 
that  the  summit  lino  is  not  in  tlic  interior  in  Iha/.il,  hut 
close  to  the  coast.  Almost  precisely  south  of  the  Itati- 
aiossu, in  the  province  of  Sjio  Paulo,  is  a  liigh  ])oint  in 
the  Serra  do  !^h^r,  which  gives  rise  to  two  I'ivers, —  one,  a 
small  stream,  the  Rio  Pirahy,  flowing  east  and  then  north- 
east hctween  two  ridges  of  the  Seri-a  do  ^lar  ;  the  othei-, 
the  Rio  Parahyha  do  Sul,  uiulei'  the  name  of  PirahytiuLia, 
which  flows  southwcstward  and  westward  for  ahout  eighty 
miles,  when  it  escapes  northward  around  the  end  of  the 
ridge  which  has  so  far  formed  its  harrier  on  the  north,  and, 
douhling  upon  itself,  flows  thence,  with  a  general  cast-north- 
east direction,  hehind  the  Serra  do  ]\Iar,  traversing  the  whole 


*  Dr.  Candido  Mcndcs  de  Almeida,  in  liis  Atlas  do  Impcrio  do  Dra-d, 
ninkfs  the  lieiL^ht  only  2,994  metres,  or  9,829  feet. 

t  Burton,  Explorations,  &c.,  \'ol.  I.  p.  Gl.  lie  docs  not  here  speak  Irom 
personal  observation. 


4 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGI!AriIY. 


province  of  TJio  do  Janeiro,  until,  some  forty-five  miles  from 
the  sen,  the  mounttiins  Itreak  down  on  the  odu(!  of  llic  pla- 
teau, MJien  it  reaches  the  Camj)os  dos  (Joitaca/t's,  and 
empties  into  the  sea  after  a  course  of  102  Ih-a/.iliau  Icauiies 
(Gerhcr),  or  408  miles. 

Aecoi'diii*;  to  rjcrhcr,  the  altitude  of  the  river  ahove  the 
sea,  at  the  mouth  of  the  i'i\er  PaiahylMuia,  is  272  metres. 
The  stream  is  so  much  hrokcu  uji  hy  I'apids  ahove  SiTo  Fide- 
lis  that  steaui  navigation  cuds  there,  aud  in  the  rest  of  its 
course  it  i;ives  j)assage  only  to  cau(M's  aud  larjiC  moutarias 
]»ropelled  I)y  the  settiuji-pole  or  towiug-i'o})e. 

The  j)rincipal  affluents  of  the  Parahyha  are  the  TJio 
Pirahy,  already  mentioiu'd,  which  affords  steam  naviga- 
tion for  a  short  distance  aliove  its  mouth  ;  the  Pio  PiX'to, 
which  rises  in  the  Itatiaiossu,  and  is  a  nuich  larger  streaui, 
falliug  iido  the  I'arahyha  north  of  Rio  ;  the  Pii-a|)itiuga, 
which  rises  in  the  Serra  of  the  I'ardo  ;  the  Pinl»auha,  which 
descends  from  the  Serra  do  ^lar  from  near  Petrojtolis, 
aud  enters  the  Rio  Parahyha  at  Entre  Rios,  a  little  ahove 
the  Parahyhuna ;  (this  latter  descends  from  the  ^lan- 
ti(iueira,  on  the  op])Osite  side  of  the  hasin,  iu  the  same 
meridian  with  the  Piahanha)  ;  the  Pomha,  Avhich  rises  iu 
the  Serra  da  Mautiipieira,  a  few  miles  east  of  Rarhaceua; 
and  the  Muriahd,  which  takes  its  source  in  the  same  range, 
a  few  leagues  to  the  east.  The  gneiss  region  of  Rio,  where 
uncultivated,  hears  a  most  vigorous  virgin  forest  growth, 
and  its  soils  arc  particularly  favoral)le  for  the  cultivation  of 
coffee  ;  the  great  valley  of  the  Parahyl)a,  ahove  Siio  Fidelis, 
and  the  valleys  of  its  affluents,  are  largely  occui)ied  hy  coffee 
plantations.  The  same  is  true  of  the  gneiss  regions  of  the 
north,  whose  toi)ograj)hy  and  soils  are,  over  large  districts, 
favorable  for  coffee  planting. 


O 


w- 


Tin:  rnoviNTF  of  rio  dk  .iankiro. 


m 


111 


n-c 


lot' 

lis, 
Ifcc 
[\\c 

its, 


oKOI-OGY    AND    THYSICAL    (iKOGRAl'IIV, 


Willi  llicsc  words  of  iiitroihictioii,  let  iis  jiow  look  at  <li<' 
gf'iiciiil  [loiiits  of  interest  io  the  jicolouist  iiiid  jdiysical  geog- 
laiiliei'  in  tlic  vicinity  of  Kio,  and  then  examine  the  province 
to  the  I'ast. 

The  DayofHio  is  a  basin  penetrating  inland  ahont  twenty 
miles,  it  is  only  ahont  a  mile  wide  at  the  niouili,  or  nana, 
hnt  widens  inunediately.  I'lie  shoi'es  on  eai'h  side  inn  in 
and  ont  witli  deep,  sweeping  enrves,  making  heaulil'id  liays; 
and,  three  miles  inside,  jtassing  the  city  of  Nietherohy  on 
the  east  and  Uio  de  Janeiro  on  the  uest,  the  i)ay  widens 
rapidly,  and  then,  with  the  same  iri'egidai-  shore  line,  attains 
its  greatest  width  abont  six  miles  from  the  month,  when  it 
contracts  and  runs  off  inland  toward  the  northeast.  It  con- 
tains sevei'al  islands  ;  those  near  the  city,  as  the  llha  das 
Cobras  and  lllui  Enxada,  are  of  gneiss,  like  that  of  the  adja- 
cent hills. 

The  llha  do  Govcrnador,  a  large  island  which  I  have  ex- 
amined on  the  eastern  side,  is  composed  jiartially  of  gneiss  ; 
bnt  I  stj'ongly  snsj)ect  that  it  is  largely  made  up  of  the 
same  tei-tiary  clays  which  I  have  found  on  the  Cantagallo 
Railroad,  near  Porto  das  Caixas.  It  seems  too  level  to 
consist  of  gneiss  alone.  This  island  ]iosscsscs  fertile  soils, 
bnt  the  ants  arc  a  terrible  plauue.  ]>nrton  savs  that  there 
are  kjo  i^-kenmoeddings  uj)on  it.  Ancient  shell-heaps  liavc 
been  hI  from   Jhazil  by  Dr.  Henry  Naegeli  of  TJio, 

occur  at  various  places  along  the  coast.  At  Santos 
.  are  some  very  extensive  ones,  and  St.  Hilaire  sneaks 
of  numerous  shell-hea])S  on  the  coast  of  the  })rovince  of 
Esjtirito  Santo  near  Santa  Cruz. 

The  smaller  islands  are  gneiss,  though,  as  in  Paqueta,  we 
find  isolated  gneiss  masses  united  ])y  stretches  of  sands  con- 
taining recent  shells.    Spix  and  ^lartius  have  called  attention 


I      have  s 


t  On  th. 
Miirtiiijiiri 


1- 


l- 


'V- 


to 


rc 


o, 


los 


KS 


i 


TiiK  riiOViNci:  oi'  iMo  i>r,  .iani;i!!o. 


t(»  the  lii'cnt  iiiiinlirr  ol'  |);ilnis  nrnwiiiu'  on  ilu'  i>liiinls  in  tlii> 
iJiiv  iif  K'in,  owinu'  tu  the  (liiiii|iin'ss  iiiid  liciit  of  the  rlimjiit'. 
The  li;i\'  is  iiowlicrc  nci'v  (lr('|i  ;  iiloiii:'  llif  .sIkh'cs  it  is  ncit 
1  >li;ill<>\v  ;  iiiid  .Moiic1h'/,"s  iii;i|i  sliows  llic  >i»iiii(liiiL's  jiio- 
jji  L:i'i'>>iiiLi'  "iiiitc  iiiiilnDiily  t'loiii  :ill  sides.  IVoin  (iiic  \n  luiir- 
tri'ii  or  ritrlltccii  liK'lrcs.  Xc;il'  tin'  middle  1)1'  the  li;i_v,  olV 
jlio.  we    liiid   llic    LiTCiltcsl    d('|itli. —  tliil't_\-(ili('    liirlirs. 

N'ciir  tlu'  UK »iitli  ()['  tilt'  it;iy  the  shores  are  rocky  imd  s;iiid\' ; 
111!'  water  is  cleai",  ami  the  linttoiu  is  coiiipoMMl  ol"  sand  and 
shells:  hut  aroinid  the  whole  head  of  the  hay,  where  the 
slioics  are  low,  and  a  host  of  little  riNcrs  hrinu'  down  lireat 
([iiantitit's  of  silt,  (lie  hasiii  is  hordeicd  hy  cxtensiNc  nian- 
'jro\e  swamps,  and  the  liothmi  is  shallow  and  nnnldy. 

In  the  tnrhid  and  somewhat  hraekish  waters  of  the  head 
of  the  hay  oysters  of  an  immense  si/e  llourish,  often  l!1ow- 
inii'  attaelujf.l  to  the  roots  of  the  manu'rtAcs.  l''ish  are  vrvy 
aiiundant,  {ind  the  eirrrars,  or  weirs,  for  takinu'  them  are 
consiiieuons  ohjeets  In  the  shore  seeiiei'V.  The  watei's  of 
the  interior  of  the  hay  are  exceediimly  clear  and  hrii^ht,  ami 
off  the  islands  of  PaijUeta  !ind  ( !o\ci'mido''  a  deposit  of 
sliclls.  with  a  cah'ai'cons  nuid.  is  in  process  of  acennndation. 
Almost  all  the  shells  ai'e  small,  and  consist  chiefly  of  spe- 
cies of  J/'(v^,  IV//;^s',  Mio'c.r,  Carilhnn,  DnildJIinn,  Ac.  1  lia\(' 
looked  diligently  for  coi'ab.  hut  the  oidy  Madreporians  1 
have  seen  in  the  V>i\y  of  Iiio  consist  of  a  couple  of  species 
(A'  A)<tn()i</ia*  found  u'rowimi"  on  tiie  sliells,  and  coidrihutin'^' 
really  notliinu"  to  the  deposits  there  aecumnlalinu'.  'I'lie  li<le 
in  the  Hay  of  Kio,  as  near  us  I  can  learn,  rises  from  three  to 
llvi'  fei't.f  hut  is  very  uncertain,  as  has  heen  I'einarked   liy 


ku- 


k)U 


*  Trot'i'.-xir  A.uassiz  tills  iiu-  tliat  a  sjiitIl'S  oC  I'oritts  has  Incii  culiritcMl   hy 
D.,  Xa,-ili. 

t  Oil  tlic  ma])  (if  l\ii),  hy  M.  I'arral,  it  is  set  down  as  tliree  IW't.     Spix  ami 


Mart 


ins  arc  in  error  in  inukiny;  it  tuurtL'(.'ii  or  tlt'tifii  t'lot. 


8 


(IKOLOGV   AND   PHYSICAL   GKOGRAPIIV. 


[I 


Si)lx  and  Martins.*  T  liavc  seen  the  tide  stand  at  tlie  same 
level  for  a  wliole  day  at  the  docks  in  Rio.  On  one  occasion 
I  visited  l'a(|U('t;i,  and  dnring  a  ihiy  and  a  hall"  (he  tide 
was  hiiih  ;  hnt,  shortly  after  my  retnrn  to  llio,  it  fell  to  an 
cxti'aordinarily  low  level,  and  remained  so  for  many  honrs. 
This  appears  to  he  owing-  to  the  fact  that  the  hay  opens 
to  the  sonthward,  while  the  mouth  is  very  contracted,  so  that 
the  waters  may  he  piled  up  on  the  coast  hy  a  southerly 
wind  in  snt-h  a  ">"ay  as  to  prevent  the  tide  IVom  llowing 
out,  while  other  \>nids  may  depress  the  level  of  the  waters 
for  as  long-  a  period. 

The  entrance  to  the  harhor  is  vei-y  hold  on  hoth  sides, 
and  is  sentinelled  hy  steep  gneiss  hills,  —  rounded  or  coni- 
cal, wooded  or  l)arc,  —  presenting  lichen-hlacked  precipices, 
whoso  faces  arc  smoothed  and  rounded  in  a  most  reniai-kal)lc 
manner.  On  the  eastern  side  some  of  these  hills  are  more 
than  a  thousand  feet  in  height.  They  are  clustertM  closely 
together,  and  stretch  off  in  a  sea  of  hills  along  the  hay  for  a 
few  miles  on  the  eastern  side,  while  along  the  coast,  eastward 
toward  Cape  Frio,  they  forn  line  of  irregular  mountains 
of  nuich  grandeur  and  heaui^. .  On  the  west  side  of  the 
entrance  to  the  hay  is  the  conical  peak  of  the  Pao  de  Assu- 

*  S])ix  iind  Martins,  Roisc,  Vol.  I.  ]).  1)5.  "  Tlic  interior  l):>siii  of  Kio  dc 
Jiim.'ir()  iuis  its  tide  as  well  as  tlic  ocean.  At  new  and  full  moon,  liiiili  water, 
which  rises  fourteen  or  lifteen  feet,  sets  in  at  tldrty  niimites  ]iast  four  ;  tlie  ehh 
sometimes  continues  a  wiude  (hiy  w  itliout  intermission,  at  wliich  time  tlie  current 
is  tile  stron;;cst  on  tlic  west  side  of  the  \v.\y.  On  tiic  otlier  hand,  wlicn  the  flood 
lic;:ins,  a  wliirlin;;'  current  is  remarlicd  on  the  east  sick-.  The  Hood  eoniinnes  a 
shorter  time  tlian  tlie  ehh,  and  usually  runs  at  the  rate  of  three  or  four  sen 
miles  per  hour.  This  strong  flood  has  more  than  once  led  the  ca]itains  of  the 
t-liips  into  error,  and  caused  them  to  cast  anchor  too  close  to  the  shore." 

The  same  iiutliors  reniaik  that  the  saltness  of  the  water  of  the  hay  is  rather 
less  than  that  of  the  ocean.  This  is  to  he  cxiieetcd,  from  the  larye  drain  of 
fresh  water  into  it. 


(•!ir  (P> 
smooth, 
a  short  : 
Ficitas, 
'   hills  of  \ 

fllgO.       'I 

heiglit.* 
wiih  pr(«( 
of  licavy 
grained, 
lai'ge   ci'i 
licds  liav 
hills  (hoy 
I  iis  luiiy  l)( 
I  Botafogo 

1  !i  >Iiiii'p,  a 

2  Hi;iss  of  1 
J  iiu'liiic  on 

i  ill  area  oi; 
I  «hee'.-  prct 
I  I'i^^h.       IJ, 
i  ^viii'd   the 
slope,  not 
I  ^i'h'  of  til 
I  hills   of  ,1 
jl  rocks  .^iniil 
i  sitlci-alily  i 
I  hnninated, 
1  ii"t  infivipii 
:iii(l  I  liiul 

*  Bnrmeiste: 
-|  niakes  it  ;J73  m 


TIIK   rnOVLNCK   OF   I;I0   1)E  JAXKIRO. 


0 


car  (Pot  dc  Bcurrc  of  the  early  French  colonists),  with  its 
siuuotli,  precipitous  sides.     IMiis  celebrated  rock  lielongs  to 
a  short  ran.ue  of  hills  that  runs  ■vestward  to  the  Lagoa  das 
Freitns,  and  Avhich  is  separated  from  the  C'orcovado,  and  the 
hills  of  which  the  latter  l(jrnis  a  part,  by  the  valley  of  ]>ota- 
fn2o.     The  Suii'ar-loaf  is  said  to  he  over  a  thousand  feet  in 
hclLiht.*     Tiie  other  hills  are  nnich  lower,  and  arc  rounded, 
with  ])i'ccij)itous  sides  facinu'  the  valley.     They  are  composed 
of  lica\y  beds  of  g'neiss,  which  is  very  homogeneous,  coarse- 
grained,  and    often   very    jjorphyritic    in    structure,    with 
large   crystals  of  liesh-colorcd  orthoclase  fehlsjiar.     These 
beds  have  very  nearly  the  same  strike  as  the  trend  of  the 
hills  they  comj)Ose,  and  dip  southward  at  a  moderate  angle, 
as  may  l)e  observed  in  the  cliffs  along  the  )»ass  leading  from 
Fxitafogo  to  the  Praia  dc  Copocabana.     The  Corcovado  is 
a  >harp,  aiigtdar  peak,  which  sejiarates  itself  from  the  great 
mass  of  hills  lying  back  of  Rio,  rising  by  a  long,  narrow 
incline  on  the  northwestern  side  to  a  ])oint  only  a  few  roils 
in  area  on  top.     On  three  sides  it  drops  ol'f  in  a  splendid 
slice'-  precijdce,  which  on  the  south  is  several  hundred  leet 
4  high.      Helow   this    i)recipice   the    mountain    })resents   to- 
'  ■  ward    the    south   a   very   steep   wooded    slope.      A    similar 
)■  slope,  not  a  taJiis,  runs  l)elow  the  clilTs    on  the  opposite 
"  sjile  of  the    valley,  and    may  1)0  observed   in  very   many 
■  hills   of   the    gneiss    reu'ion.      In    the    Corcovado   we    find 
'  I'ocks  similar  to  those  of  the  J^ugar-loaf,  but  varying  con- 
i  sidciably  in  character,  being  generally,  near  the  top,  well 
I  laminated,  sometimes  with    large  crystals  of  feldspar,  and 
not  infre(piently  full  of  garnets.     The  dij)  varies  somewhat, 
huid  T  find  in  my  field-book  two  notes  of  a  slight  southerly 


,i      *  RiirtncUtcr  siiys  1,212  feet.     (Riiae  nach  Urasilien,  p.  57.)     Dr.  Almeida 
i  iiiakos  it  .Ta  metre:-,  or  about  1,426  feet. 


'* 


1* 


i 


10 


GEOLOGY   A2s'D   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


TIIK   SrcAIi-LOAF,    COltCOVADO   AND   GAVIA,    FllOJI    SAO   nOMINGO. 

dip  near  llio  top,  Avliilc  an  oljscrvation  taken  some  distance 
below  <lie  i-eservoir  on  the  a(ine(liict  uavc  a  marked  nortli- 
ward  dip,  'J'hc  general  dij)  of  the  gneiss  in  the  ])eak,  as  well 
as  in  the  hills  east,  is  certainly  northward,  and  one  sees  the 
same  dip  in  certain  lcd<>es  of  rock  in  the  harbor,  ■which  lie 
in  the  line  of  strike  of  the  beds  of  the  Corcovado.  The  val- 
ley which  sej)arates  the  hills  of  the  Corcovado  from  those  of 
the  Sngar-loaf  is  therefore  an  anfeclinal  ^  illey.  Professor 
Agassiz  has  independently  made  ilie  same  observations,  and 
has  come  to  the  same  conclusions.* 

Three  miles  southwest  of  the  Corcovado  are  the  Tres  Irmaos, 
a  grou]i  of  conical  peaks  veiy  interesting  to  the  student  of 
topogi-aphy,and  a  couple  of  miles  west  of  these  is  the  Gavia, 
an  isolated,  tower-like,  tiat-to]>ped  mountain,  said  to  be  o,0<M) 
feet  high.     "Within  the  irregulai-  ring  formed  by  these  moun- 

*  Pissis  hiis  called  uttention  to  the  rcKeinhlanco  hornc  iKtworii  the  fiiu'- 
prained  frnciss,  witli  pirnetN  overlvinir  the  jioriihyritic  variety  f'oniiiiii:-  tlic  lia-e 
of  the  Corcovado,  and  that  of  tlio  rucks  at  Copocahaiui.  [Mi'm.  de  I'/nsli'. 
de  Fnnicr,  'roni.  X.  pp.  3(')2,  3G3.) 


'Itnins  is 
4111  a  has 
stlie  ]ag( 
f-liy  tl 
|Tl';i\cll(' 
Jit  is  uor 
Ivoi-dure 
[of  its  SCI 
tlic  beau 
J  ys is  of  t( 
to  iiii|)iv 
wliicli  ha 
observer, 
Voiu  the 
j'.'eis  ror 
over  one 
inipi'cssiv 
old  catliei 
Olio  of  the 
tliat  crow- 
feet t  (.11  ( 
thesiloit 
.J  dejiths  s;ii 
eiicjivliiig 
criiig  wit 
can  luok 
surges  ere 
tJKMi  over 
iiig  curves 
<>i'gaos  he;) 
a  ^^i'  above 


THE   PROVIXCK   OF   RIO   DE  .TAXKICO. 


11 


or 


lii, 

01) 

in- 

iiu'- 

stil. 


I  tains  is  the  beautiful  LauMii  de  Freitas,  fi  slioet  of  water  held 
ill  a  luisiii  among  the  hills,  and  slmt  out  from  the  sea —  like 
the  lagnas  .so  connnon  along;  the  eoast  east  and  west  of  Ivio 
-Iiv  the  throwing  uj)  of  a  sand-l)eaeh  aeross  its  mouth. 
[Travellers  all  speak  of  the  romantie  heauty  of  this  sjiot,  and 
lit  is  worthy  of  their  praise;  for  though  elothed  in  the  warm 
.vonliire  of  the  trojiies,  it  is  really  .Swiss-like  in  the  eharaeter 
of  its  seenerv.  if  the  ueohjuist  has  any  soul,  aiiv  lo\e  for 
[the  lieautiful,  there  is  no  seeiic  whieh,  with  all  his  eold  anal- 
ysis of  topogra[iliical  and  geologieal  elements,  is  more  likely 
to  impress  him  as  an  artists  work.  1  know  of  no  view 
wliieli  has  alfeeted  me  so  mueh  —  not  only  as  a  seientiile 
oliserver,  hut  as  a  man  —  as  that  of  the  vieinity  of  Ixio 
fioiii  the  top  of  the  Coreovado.  There  are  a  thou.sand  siih- 
jrcts  for  observation  and  study;  and,  with  all,  there  eomes 
over  one  a  feeling  akin  to,  but  infinitely  more  deej)  and 
impressive  than,  that  whieh  one  experienees  Avhen  in  some 
old  eadiedral  he  sits  down  to  study  the  sulilimc  creation  of 
oiH'  of  the  old  nuisters.  lie  who  ean  lean  over  the  paiajiet 
that  crowns  the  Coreovado,  and  look  down  more  than  2,000 
feit  t  on  the  temple  of  })alms  of  the  Botanical  Garden,  and  on 
the  silent  Lagoa  de  Freitas,  —  "another  sky,"  in  whose  blue 
(hptlis  sail  soft  fleecy  clouds,  —  who  ean  gaze  on  the  j)roud 
eiiciivling  peaks,  green  with  an  everlasting  spring,  and  .shiv- 
fiiiig  with  silvery  reflections  from  the  Cecropias,  —  who 
e;iii  look  out  over  tlic  island  and  sail  dotted  sea,  and  the 
surges  ereejiing  up  on  the  long,  curving  .sea-1  teaches,  and 
then  over  the  l»ay,  with  the  city  fringing  Avidely  its  swccjh 
ing  curves,  the  sea  of  hills  beyond,  the  majestic  Scrra  dos 
<  *rgaos  heaving  its  great  l)ack,  in  the  ex(piisite  blue  distance, 
fur  above  the  level  line  of  the  clonils,  its   great  miiu'rets 


*  2,179  fcc't  i^  tlic  exact  heif;ht.    Burineister  sajs  2,104. 


12 


GKOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


sliarply  defined  against  tlic  purple  ether,  —  and  can  intelli- 
gently take  into  consideration  all  the  geological,  climatic, 
and  other  natural  laws  Avliich  have  determined  the  elements 
of  heauty  and  nserulness  in  the  scene,  and  not  have  his  whole 
soul  moved  within  him  in  homage  to  the  Artist  whose  hand 
has  moulded  continents,  carved  out  their  lineaments,  spread 
over  them  their  mantle  of  vegetation,  and  peopled  them  with 
living  forms,  has  not  gone  beyond  the  alphabet  and  gram- 
mar of  his  science,  and  has  no  idea  of  the  literature  of 
Nature. 

The  Corcovado  is  only  one  peak  of  a  mass  of  hills  which 
occupies  a  large  area  west  of  Ilio.  It  is  united  liy  a  jjuss 
1,000  feet  in  height  to  another  mass  lying  northward  of  the 
last,  and  which  culminates  in  a  sharp  conical  i)eak  called 
Tijuca,  the  latter  being  about  3,447  feet  in  height.  The 
Tijuca  range  is  connected  with  a  group  of  hills  which  ex- 
tends several  leagues  to  the  west.  Westward  of  the  Gavia 
is  a  stretch  of  ])lain  only  a  few  feet  in  elevation  al)ove  the 
sea,  and  broken  uj)  by  very  numerous  lakes,  some  of  which 
are  of  considerable  size.  ]jetween  the  hills  which  I  have 
just  described  and  the  Serra  do  ^hir  there  is  a  wide  extent 
of  low  country,  in  some  j)arts  jKM'fectly  flat  and  very  low, 
in  others  somewhat  diversified  with  hills.  I  have  seen 
this  country  only  from  the  railway-train,  but  I  would  sug- 
gest the  more  than  ])robability  that  a  consideral>le  i)art  of  it 
may  be  niad(!  u})  of  beds  of  stratified  clays,  like  those  of  the 
Cantagallo  Railroad,  presently  to  be  described.  The  ►'^erra  do 
Mar,  as  well  as  the  whole  range,  including  the  Organ  ami 
Cantagallo  Mountains,  as  has  been  already  stated,  is  com- 
posed of  gneiss. 

At  Rio  the  gneiss  varies  very  much  in  texture.  As  a  gen- 
eral thing  it  occurs  in  very  thick  homogeneous  beds,  varying 


frrim  nn  ( 
crvstiils 
iiiclics  1( 
i  varifiy 

i   JlilLI'Ll'W  <»1 

I    ■      l"       I 
I  IS  liil'ijvlv 

■i  ;ilii|  I  lie 

;■    OlllV      111 

i{   {■nn>\.       T 
I   1inll>.       T 

;.  <il'   I'uck, 
V.  iii;irk;iM(\ 
iiml  strike 
cliilly    \('i' 
;    )llillCIMls    c 

•  Inncrsc  ib 
(iccasioiial 
"lis.     1  CO] 
iViiin  the  hi 
of  the  harl. 


At  tllO    b; 

laiiiiiialioii. 
jlicrc  tire  ; 
^n)ip  :W   S. 

About  80 
ill  alHMlof\ 

.Htratificatioi 


M 


THE   PROVINCE   OF   RIO   DE  JANEIRO. 


ir> 


fnmi  an  oxcccflingly  coarse  por)»liyi-itic  kind  containing  largo 
crystals  of  black  mica,  and  crystals  of  ])ink  feldspar  several 
1  imlics  long,  to  a  lino,  even-grained,  compact,  liglit-gi-ay 
variety.  Sometimes  it  is  very  distinctly  laminated,  lissile, 
llaggy.  or  schistose,  (larnets  are  very  connnon  in  it.  It 
is  hugely  (piarried  for  building  j)uri)oses  in  all  direclions, 
;iuil  ilii'  liner-grained  kinds  are  much  us(mI  for  ]);ning,  not 
only  in  Hit}  streets  of  Rio,  Imt  in  other  towns  on  tli-) 
(•(i;i>l.  The  numerous  ipiarries  afford  veiy  excellent  see- 
ji(Uis.  The  unbroken  com])actness  and  the  little  Jointing 
(if  rock,  even  on  the  surface,  strik*;  tlu;  oliserver  as  iv- 
UKii'kable.  Many  of  the  hills  are  n;onolilhs.  The  dip 
and  strike  are,  owing  to  the  liomogenei' .  if  the  rock,  geu- 
eially  \cry  indistinct.  Inmiense  grainte  ^eins,  \vith  the 
]  iiiiiieials  coni})osing  them  often  very  c(jarsely  crystallized, 
;  li;;\('ise  llie  rock,  toti'ethcr  Avith  veins  ()f  milkv  (luarfz  and 
occasional  ilykes  of  diorite  or  greenstone.  Faults  ai'c  numer- 
ous. 1  cojiy  from  my  note-book  the  following  section  made 
IVoni  the  barracks  north  of  Praia  Grande  on  the  eastern  side 
J  of  the  harljor  and  extending  southward  to  the  city:  — 


r^ 


:^^m 


^1 


SKCTIOX   AT   rilAIA    GRANDE. 


It 

[he  m     ■''^^  ^1'*'  barracks,  the  gneiss,  a,  is  dark  gray  with  a  fme 

do  alaniinalion.      The  crystals  of  feldsjiar  arc  very  small,   ami 

Ind  Mtliere   are  a   great  many  red   garnets.     Strike  N.  40'   E. 

About  800  feet  southward  of  the  barracks  is  a  large  quarry, 

hi-  id^'^  '^  '"''^  of  very  compact  gneiss,  d,  showing  scarcely  a  trace  of 

,,H-  _^stratilication.     It  is  composed  of  feldspar  in  large  crystals. 


u 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


luiea,  fnicly  crvstalli/.cil,  and  voiy  little  ([luirtz.  Gai'iicls  aro 
altuiidaiil,  ami  the  rock  is  travci'scd  by  veins,  a  luimboi' ol" 
which  1  have  noted  as  dipjiing-  steej)ly  southward.  \\i  one 
uF  these  veins,  which  was  lour  inches  in  width,  the  sides 
consisted  almost  wholly  ol'  laru'e,  coiirse  eiystals  of  a  li^uht, 
flesh-colored  rclds[)ar  with  a  little  green  mica,  Avhile  the 
middle  itortioii  was  made  uj)  of  clear,  lilassy  (jnartz  of  a 
light  reddish  color,  with  an  occasional  largo  crystal  of  hlack 


■e 

mica. 


Above  these  beds  arc  others,  in  which  I  have  noted  that 
the  crystals  of  feldspar  lie  with  their  longer  sides  parallel  to 
the  i»lanc  of  stratification.  In  a  large  vein  here  we  find  the 
same  arrangement  of  the  materials  as  in  that  aljove  de- 
scrii»ed. 

/.  Gneiss  with  very  large  crystals  of  feldspar. 

i;\  Thin  lieds  of  compact  miea-slatc,  or  extremely  fine- 
grained and  distinctly  bedded  gneiss,  l^trikc  N.  oo^  E. 
Dip  8.y   S. 

Here  the  section  fails  on  reaching  the  city.  In  a  hill  im- 
mediately east  of  the  church  of  Sao  Joao  the  gneiss  is 
principally  composed  of  large  felds])ar  crystals.  Strike  X. 
80^  E.  Dip  35^  S.  In  the  point  between  Praia  Grande  and 
Sao  Domingo  the  rock  is  like  that  last  seen,  the  striko 
being  N.  80'  E.,  and  the  dip  southward.  Just  south  of  Foit 
Sao  Domingo  there  are  seen  veins  of  iron  ore  in  the  gneiss; 
the  dip  is  abont  45^  S.,  and  the  strike  alxjut  X,  80'  E. 

I  have  carefully  examined  the  cuttings  on  the  Dom  Pedro 
II.  Railroad,  from  Belem,  at  the  southern  base  of  the  Sei'ia 
do  Mar,  to  Yi>iranga,  in  the  valley  of  the  Parahyba  do  Suk 
and  I  have  studied  them  in  detail,  on  foot,  from  the  mouth 
of  the  great  tunnel,  which  ])ierces  the  crest  of  the  Sei'ia. 
to  Ypiranga.    The  whole  ridge  is  composed  of  gneiss,  which 


^af■|('S  vci 
gia}  in  C( 
tM>r.      'I'l 

i  x.  b".  ]■:. 

ii(»ns  ol'  st 

tra.ire  of 

gi\L'  \.  (i 

iVmn   JJck> 

iiiiiiiochna 

arc  ivpcati 

J[  tlic  ^-tratft, 

lire  much 

1  iliji  is  rem 

;  ^'  IT   munc 

Vjiiranga  i 

,  |"is'm1  near 

?«  biiriiiiig  in 

I      TIk'  Srrr 

.1  <|Urlit|y  (Ics 

:'  l!:iy  "!'  IJio, 

|llill,'c||t     liu 

.? 

.'  M'l'ics  of  pi 
I  llif  Oi'gans, 
■';  structure  ol 
^  'lie  ^Iiarj-)  [() 

ill  etjici-  iiisi 

I'ltlicr  suddi 

.   '  licrcsopoli: 

f  ilio  axis,  on 

'  Of  ci^lu  rcli 
i-  X.  5:)0  3(1'  E. 
*  JoiuiH'v  in 


THK   I'lJOVIXCK   OF   ItIO    1)E   JANF.IKO. 


15 


N. 


)rt 


Miiics  vciy  much  in  cliaractcr,  as  a  fi'ciicral  rn]o  liciim-  dark 
'jvA\  ill  color,  well  laiuiiiatod,  often  linc-j:'i'aiii('(l  jind  schis- 
fiiM'.  'I'lio  sti'ikc  varies,  ac(M)r(lin!j.'  to  my  ohscrvatioiis,  IVom 
N.  |.')  I-],  to  X.  SO  E.,  and  the  mean  ot"  thirly-l'onr  oiiscfva- 
lioiis  of  strike  taken  along  the  road  IVom  the  southern  eii- 
traare  of  the  great  tunnel  to  the  r>arra  do  Tirahy,  would 
^i\e  X.  'ill'  E.*  The  dip  is  almost  invarialily  northward 
iVoin  I'clem  to  the  Parahylja,  so  that  the  Serra  is  here  a 
iiiiijiDcliiial  ridge,  hut  it  is  very  pn^halilc  that  the  same  strata 
itic  n'j)c;if('d.  There  seems  to  have  heen  nmeh  dislocation  ol' 
tlic  ^■ll•ata,  and  faults  are  common.  In  some  cj.ses  the  heds 
;iic  luuch  jilicated,  though,  as  uiiovc  remarked,  the  general 
(lip  is  remarkalily  uniform.  Quartz  and  granite  veins  are 
very  numerous,  and  trap  dykes  are  not  uncommon.  At 
^'j>ii;mga  is  a  thin  Itcd  of  crystalline  limestone,  which  is  cx- 
jiMsi'd  near  the  railway,  and  is  more  or  less  quarried  for 
liiiniiiig  into  lime. 

The  Serra  dos  Orgaos  and  the  8erra  da  Estrclla,  so  fre- 
(|ueutly  descrihed,  is  a  lieavy  ridge  l\ing  at  the  head  of  the 
l!;iy  (if  Kio,  and  liclonging  to  the  Scrra  do  ^hir.  It  is  a  mag- 
nifieeiit  mountain  })ile,  which,  to  the  east,  runs  up  into  a 
series  of  picturcsfpie  aig-ui/les.  1  have  never  myself  visited 
the  Organs,  and  1  (|Uotc  Professor  Agassiz's  remarks  on  the 
structure  of  this  ridge.  He  says  :  f  "  The  chain  is  forme(l  hy 
the  sharp  folding  up  (.)f  the  sti'ata,  sometimes  (piite  vertically, 
ill  other  instances  with  a  slope  more  or  less  steej),  hut  always 
latlier  sudden.  To  one  standing  on  the  liill  to  the  east  of 
Tlieresopolis,  tlie  whole  range  jirescnts  itself  in  perfect  jirolile ; 
the  axis,  on  either  side  of  which  dip  the  almost  vertical  heds 


*  Of  c'i^'ht  reliahlo  observations  of  strike,  taken  in  the  vicinity  of  Rio,  tiie  mean 
[i>  N.  5:)0  .3(1'  E.  ;  l)nt  those  (observations  vary  from  N.  10°  E.  to  \.  8U°  E. 
t  Journey  in  Brazil,  p.  491. 


IG 


GKOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GKOGRAI'IIY. 


THE   OKGANS. 


of  motamorpliic  rocks  composing  the  chain,  occupies  al>uut 
the  centre  of  the  range. 

"  To  the  north,  though  very  steeply  inclined,  the  heds  are 
not  so  vertical  as  in  the  southern  ])rolongation  of  the  range. 
The  consequence  of  this  difference  is  the  formation  of  more 
massive  and  less  disconnected  summits  on  the  north  side, 
while  on  the  south  side,  where  the  strata  are  nearly  or  quite 
vertical,  the  harder  set  of  beds  alone  have  remained  stand- 
ing, the  softer  intervening  beds  having  liccn  gradually  disin- 
tegrated. By  this  process  have  been  formed  those  strange 
})caks  which  appear  from  a  distance  like  a  row  of  organ- 


pij)es,  am 
known, 
general  ni 
nous  str;i 
much  the 
two  j)oiiit( 
to  (he  sout 
selves  in 
their  sleiK 
side,  tlie  1 
exhibits  a 
unnis.     It 
j)eaks,  so  < 
siiouhl  not 
cisc  indicat 
who  gives 
him."  * 

"  These  a 
very  synnnc 
account  of  1 
which  al)oui 
character."  -j 
rissis  $  ht 

*  Gardner  nial 
t  Similar  ni;rii 
]msvnt  the  .same 
Ihto,  a.s  examjjlcs 
Itahapuana,  the  • 
after. 

t  "  Le  loptinite 
qui,  vuus  (Ic  Rio  ( 
''•'  l>aiite.s  ct  mir 
''liint  assez  h.  des 
r-  3C0. 


THE   PROVINCE   OF  lUO   DE  JANEIRO. 


17 


)iij)Os,  and  have  sngcrcstcd  the  name  1iy  wliich  the  cliain  i-* 
known.  They  consist  of  vertical  beds,  isolated  from  the 
L^oncral  mass  in  conseijuence  of  the  disai)i)earancc  of  contiu- 
uous  .strata.  The  aspect  of  the.se  monntains  from  Rio  is 
much  the  same  as  from  Theresojjolis,  only  that  from  the 
two  points  of  view  —  one  being  to  the  northeast,  the  cither 
to  tlie  .southwest  of  the  range  — their  .snnnnits  present  them- 
^^  selves  in  reverse  order.  When  seen  in  complete  profile, 
tlicir  slender  api)earance  is  most  striking.  A'iewed  from  the 
side,  the  broad  surface  of  the  strata,  though  ccpially  steej), 
exhibits  a  triangular  form  rather  than  that  of  vertical  col- 
umns. It  is  strange  that  the  height  of  the  Organ  Mountain . 
])oal\S,  so  consi)icu(ms  a  feature  in  the  landscai)e  of  Rio, 
should  not  have  Ijcen  accurately  measured.  The  only  pre- 
cise indication  I  have  been  able  to  find  is  recorded  l)y  Liais, 
who  gives  7,000  feet  as  the  maximum  height  observed  l)y 
hiui."  * 

"These  abrupt  peaks  frequently  surround  closed  basins, 
very  .symmetrical  in  shape,  but  without  any  outlet.  On 
account  of  this  singular  formation,  the  glacial  phenomena 
wliich  abound  in  the  Organ  Mountains  arc  of  a  peculiar 
character."  f 

Pissis  J  has  described  the  Organs  in  very  much  the  same 

*  Gardner  makes  them  7,500  to  7,800  feet. 

t  Similar  aiiriiilles  are  eommon  elsewhere  on  the  coast  in  the  gneiss  belt,  iin<l 
present  the  same  features  as  are  deserihed  by  Professor  Agassi/..  I  may  eite 
here,  as  examples,  the  Fradc  de  ^Macahc,  the  Pedra  Lisa  and  the  Garrafao,  near 
Italiapuana,  the  peaks  of  Itape'merim,  &c.,  all  of  which  I  shall  describe  here- 
after. 

t  "  Le  leptinitc  s'y  trouve  fortcment  redress(^  et  pre'sentc  des  lames  colossales 
qui,  vues  de  Rio  de  Janeiro  dans  le  sens  de  leur  e'paisseur,  ai)paraissent  comme 
lie  luuites  et  minces  aiguilles  plaee'es  les  unes  a  cute'  des  nutres  ct  ressem- 
lilant  assez  a  des  tuyaux  d'orgues."  —  Mifni,  de  I'Inst.  de  France,  Tom.  X. 
p.  3C0. 


18 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


Ii,> 


terms  as  Aj^^assiz.  The  same  author  calls  attention  to  the 
great  iiteejniess  of  the  southern  sloi)C  of  the  Or^an  ]\ruuii- 
tains,  and  speaks  of  the  little  s< reams  Avhich,  ])reeij»itat- 
in<?  themselves  over  it,  arc  visible,  as  I  can  testify,  fi'oni 
Rio,  —  a  distance  of  more  than  thirty  miles,  —  appearing- 
like  silvery  lines  drawn  down  the  l)luc  flank  of  the  Serra. 
The  needles  of  the  Oi'gans  arc  usually  represented  as  seen 
from  their  thinnest  side,  which  would  give  one  the  idea  that 
they  were  tower  or  chimney-like  masses.  Professor  Agassiz 
has  figured  one  of  the  most  noted  of  the  jjcaks  as  seen  in 
this  way.  Through  his  kindness  I  am  cnal)led  to  present  a 
side  view  of  the  same  i)eak,  from  a  photograj)h  in  liis  posses- 
sion. The  views  of  the  Organs  in  Cardner's  Travels,  and  in 
the  majority  of  works  on  Brazil,  are  very  i)oor. 

The  gneiss  of  the  vicinity  of  Rio  and  of  the  Serra  do  Mai- 
ls remarkably  unproductive  in  useful  minerals.  Indeed,  I 
do  not  know  of  any  mineral  deposits  of  economic  value  in 
the  region,  except  gold,  which  occurs  in  these  gneisses  in 
Sao  Paulo,  at  Cantagallo,  and  elsewhere,  but  not  very  al)un- 
dantly.  The  almost  entire  absence  of  hmestonc  is  remark- 
able.    I  have  nowhere  seen  any  trace  of  grajfliite. 

The  Rio  Macacu  is  one  of  the  little  streams  entering  the 
Bay  of  Rio  near  its  northeastern  extremity.    The  whole  coun- 
try bordering  the  bay,  as  above  stated,  is  one  great  man- 
grove swamp,  and  from  the  month  of  the  river  to  the  Poi-to 
da  Yilla  Nova  this  is  the  character  of  its  banks.     At  this 
place  the  soil  consists,  like  that  of  the  rest  of  the  swamp,  of 
a  soft,  dark-blue  mud,  or  clay,  containing  a  little  dccompo.sed 
mica  in  silvery  flakes.     This  mud  at  Villa  Nova  is  twenty-  | 
four  feet  dee]».  and  is  underlaid  by  sand  and  gravel  contain-  | 
ing  recent  shells  ;  but  farther  back  from  the  river,  as  miulit  p 
be  expected,  it  is  not  so  thick,  being  only  about  six  ll'ct.  | 


THE  rnoviNTi;  of  iiio  de  .lANr.ino. 


19 


Tlio  fi'(M»oral  sinTaco  of  flic  country  lici-c  is  ixM-foctly  fl;it, 
iiiul  only  ahout  one  loot  aliove  water  li'vcl  at  sprinu-lidcs. 
Tlif  ri\('r*  is  oiu'  Innulred  feet  wide  at  tlie  Porto,  lint  it  is 
very  dec)),  and  it.s  ))anks  are  bordered  with  rush-like  plaids, 
—  the  (/iii/Ki,  a  plant  with  a  trianunlar  stem,  and  \\\c  jH'i'i/H'rt, 
oi-  IJrazilian  paj)yrns,  so  much  used  lor  mats,  wlnle  the 
swamps  ai'C  covered  by  mangroves,  /(i/fihiiid  trees,  an<l 
a  dense  lirowth  of  j)lants,  such  as  love  the  salt  marshes. 

Leaviuu'  the  river  at  I*orto  da  A'illa  Nova,  and  follow- 
imi'  alun"-  the  extension  of  the  line  of  the  Cantauallo  Kail- 
way,  one  soon  leaves  the  swamj)S,  and,  risinu:;  a  few 
feet,  finds  himself  on  a  plain  of  coarse  white  sand,  in 
which  arc  seen  exposed  in  excavations  an  aluindance  of 
recent  shells,  like  those  which  lie  on  the  beaches  alonir 
tlie  liny,  Vctnis  Jlcxnosa  Ix'ing  csjiecially  common.  These 
jilains  are  s))arsely  wooded,  and  su])port  a  vejictatioii 
(|uite  different  from  what  we  have  ol)served  in  the  swamjis.t 
Conspicuous  amoiifi'  the  trees,  or  rather  lai\ue  shrubs,  is 
tlie  j^'lan^-Hcira  {Eu<j!;-('nin^,  noted  for  its  refreshinuly  acid, 
red  fruit.  Bromeliaceous  plants  arc  connnon,  together 
with  cactuses,  <tc.      "Where,  however,  a  soil  has  accnmu- 

*  Burmcistcr  remarks  upon  the  coflFcT-browii  color  of  tlu'  water  of  tliis  river. 

Tlie  vicinity  is  very  unhealthy,  intermittent  fevers  of  a  tyiilioid  eluniicter  jjre- 
I  VMiliiiir. 

■!  S|iix  ami  Martins  describe  a  similar  san(l-])lain  on  the  road  fnjm  Rio  to 
I  the  l!ii|K'rial  Fazemla  of  Santa  (Vu/ :    "On   the   way   hitlier  we  remarked 

a  stretcli  of  jrround  composed  of  coarse  dry  ^rranite  sand.  The  low  Imt 
I  very  ]ili'a.-in;^  wood  covering,'  it  resemliled,  in  its  shininj;  ,ureen,  stitt'  folia;;e, 
lour  laurel  woods,  Imt,  as  a  token  of  the  tro])ieal  climate,  it  was  charac- 
Iterized  hy  the  multiplicity  of  the  flower-forms."  Tlie  same  authors  men- 
jtion  the  followinjx  ])lants  as  occurring:  on  this  pround  :  "  Srhinns  Aroeim, 
ttiriliinthi/iiliii  Kaddi ;  Polilana  { Lang sdor (fin  Leandr.)  instrumenturia  Mart.; 
l^'/ii.r/a  hetemnthern  Leandr. ;  ISyrsoin'ma  niliflisslinn  Iluinb. ;  Sapiiiin  ilirifjlium 

u . ;  Alsixli'n  Pliiisi'jihom   Mart.;    Petroea  rnreinosn   Nees  ;    Solemi  riramlifoHa  ; 

ISVno/KP,  Paulinke,  s/k,  &c."     (Spix  and  Martins,  lielse,  Vol.  I.  p.  181.) 


i 


20 


GEOLOGY   AXn   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


latcd,  the  vcgotatioi)  assumes  the  diLniity  of  a  forest  p'owfli. 
Presently  we  conic  upon  some  low  hillocks,  very  rounded  in 
their  outline,  which  stand  like  islands  in  the  sand-pliiin. 
Sonic  of  these  arc  cut  through  hy  the  ruilwjiy,  and  we 
see  that  they  arc  isolated  and  denuded  outliers  of  a  Inr- 
mation  underlying  the  sands.  Rising  above  the  general 
level  of  the  sands,  they  are  bathed  by  them  round  aliout, 
like  islands.  Some  of  these  hillocks  are  composed  of  a  hcil 
of  white  or  reddish  arenaceous  clay,  obscurely  stratilii'il, 
like  a  kaolin  mixed  with  sand,  with  an  occasional  quart/ 
pcl)ble,  and  irregularly  tinged  l>y  yellow  or  red  ferric  oxide 
Over  the  evenly  rounded  surface  of  this  clay  is  sjn-eiid  a 
thin  sheet  of  (juartz  pebbles,  generally  well  rounded,  lol- 
lowing  all  the  sinuosities  of  the  surface  on  which  it  lies, 
though  the  bed  varies  much  in  thickness.  Over  this  peblili 
sheet  is  a  concentric  coat  several  feet  thick,  of  a  perfectly  % 
structureless,  arenaceous  clay,  consisting  of  decomposed*!^ 
feldspar  and  fragments  of  quartz,  deeply  colored  by  ferric 
oxide,  and  resembling  the  unwashed  and  unassorted  pro 
duct  which  would  result  from  the  mechanical  trituration  of 
decomposed  gneiss,  with  a  mixture  of  the  clays  just  dc- 
scril)cd.  All  the  hillocks  were  covered  by  the  same  ma- 
terial. At  Porto  das  Caixas  we  rise  by  a  steep  incliii' 
■  some  thirty  feet,  more  or  less  (I  have  no  note  of  the  exact 
height),  to  a  level  plain  of  large  extent.  Cuttings  at«J| 
the  railroad  depot  show  that  it  is  composed  of  a  horizonta!* 
deposit  of  the  same  tinted  sandy  clays  we  found  occupying 
the  centre  of  the  hillocks  just  described,  and  that  it  is  over- 
laid by  a  thick  bed  of  structureless  red  clay,  separated  fromi 
the  underlying  deposit  by  a  layer  of  quartz  pebbles.  Takinri 
the  train,  we  go  westward  over  this  plain  some  ten  miles.*  I 

*  Being  unfurnished  with  a  reliable  map,  I  can  only  give  distances  a:- 
proximately. 


Part  of  it  i 

aivas    oc(;n| 

^  Ics.s  lu.Miriui 

iug   sii'kly-1 

;■  otiii-'r  juira.s 

J  liiiidsia.     II 

I  .^cri'a  do  M( 

''i  I  lie  liilis,  gi 

^rnci.s.s  valk'; 

i  minus  of  th 

iiari'DW  valle 

I  do  Mori'o  Qi 

dits    Oi'gaos. 

■  cliaractor   a> 

side,    nrar    t 

t('ii(K,'iit  of  t 

di]»  was  vert 

On  oxaniii 

the  hills,  or  ( 

i^'c,  the  njck 

that  we  luiv( 

plain  at  Port 

tion  of  (he  i 

the  same  ret 

railway  exteii 

doscending  e 

addition,  it  is 

lur  sheet  of 

pilar  fragnie 

though  these 

and.  much  as 

scribed,  or  sol 


THE   PROVINCE  OF  RIO   DE  JANKIRO. 


21 


rart  o['  it  is  dry  and  sj)arsi'ly  woixled,  Imt  tlieru  arc  large 
aiv;i.s  (X'ciipii'd  ]>y  swamps,  in  which  ^n-ows  a  more  or 
less  hiMiriant  swamp  vejiotation, —  a  dismal  scone,  pivscnt- 
\\v^  .sickly-loukinj^  trees  loaded  with  orchids,  Terns,  and 
other  jKirasitos,  and  draj»ed  heavily  with  i  species  of  Til- 
huulsia.  Hy  and  Ity  wc  reach  the  eml  of  a  sjiur  from  the 
Scrra  do  Morro  Queimado,  and,  skirling  the  western  hase  of 
tlie  hills,  gradually  ascend,  passing  from  the  plain  to  the 
gneiss  valley  of  the  Ilio  Macacu,  and,  at  the  pivsent  ter- 
minus of  the  railroad  at  Cachoeiras,  lind  ourselves  in  a 
narrow  valley,  among  gneiss  hills,  at  the  foot  of  the  Sei'iii 
do  .Morro  Queimado,  an  eastward  continuation  of  the  Serra 
dos  Orgaos.  The  gneiss  here  is  of  the  same  general 
ciiaracter  as  that  at  Rio.  An  ohservation  Iiy  the  river- 
side, near  the  residence  of  Mr.  Williams,  the  superin- 
tendent of  the  railroad,  gave  the  strike  X.  70'  E.  The 
di]*  was  vertical.     Garnets  Avere  very  abundant. 

On  examining  the  soil,  whether  high  up  on  the  slopes,  in 
the  hills,  or  elsewhere  in  the  numerous  cuttings  of  the  njads, 
Arc,  the  rock  is  seen  to  be  covered  liy  the  same  red  elay 
[that  wc  have  observed  forming  the  surface-coating  of  the 
I  plain  at  Porto  das  Caixas ;  and  only  a  superficial  examina- 
tion of  the  intervening  country  is  necessary  to  show  that 
[the  same  red  clay  covers,  not  only  the  clay  hillocks  of  the 
railway  extension  and  the  jilains  descril)ed,  but  the  hills  also, 
[descending  everywhere  to  the  level  of  the  sand-plain.     In 
addition,  it  is  to  lie  seen  frequently  underlaid  by  an  irregu- 
ilar  sheet  of  (piartz  pebbles,  an<l  it  very  often  contains  an- 
gular fragments  of  quartz  and  sometimes  masses  of  gneiss, 
[though  these  last  are  rare.     It  is  al)solutely  structureless, 
[and,  nnich  as  it  may  resemble  the  stratiiied  clays  above  de- 
I  s(.'ribed,  or  soft,  dccomiioscd  gneiss,  it  needs  only  a  very  short 


0-) 


GEOLOGY    AND    PHYSICAL    GEOGKAI'IIY. 


expori(Micc  to  cnal)lc  one  to  distinguish  from  a  hand  s[)Ccimoii 
wlic'thor  it  1)0  one  or  the  other,  (ienerally  tliis  struc^tiuc- 
less  eUiy  is  deep  red  ;  Imt  on  the  surface  it  is  often  nioic 
or  less  yeUowish.  Tlie  following  ideal  section  illustrates 
the  geology  of  the  country  lietween  the  l>ay  of  Rio  and  tlic 
Serra  do  Morro  Queiniado,  along  the  route  over  which  \\v 
have  travelled. 

w 


SKfTION  ALOXO   THK   LINE  OF   TIIK    CAMTAGALLO   RAILUOAD. 

n.  Gneiss,  V.iiy.nic. 

0.   Striitilied  clays,  Tertiary.     (Drift,  Agas.-iz  ) 
c.  Drift. 

</.  liaised  bcaclius  with  recent  slu'ils. 
t.  Modern  iiiuil  deposit. 
./".   I!ay  of  I!io. 

This  section  tells  a  very  clear  story.  Late  in  the  tertiniv 
period,  long  after  tJie  hills  of  Uio  were  upheaved,  and  wlitii 
the  country  stood  at  a  slightly  lower  level,  the  stratified 
clays  which  I  have  described  were  deposited  ovei-  tin 
"whole  area  of  the  basin  of  the  Bay  of  Rio,  and  the  adjoin- 
ing flat  country.  These  were  aftei-vvard  upheaved,  most 
j)rol)al>ly,  as  1  shall  attem])t  to  show  hereafter,  to  a  nuieli 
greater  height  than  at  present,  and  subjected  to  denudation 
by  water  and  glacial  action.  Owing  to  the  shaj)e  of  the  basin 
and  the  great  nund)er  of  streams  flowing  into  it,  as  well  a.- 
to  the  face  that  it  must  have  been  the  focal  ])oint  towani 
which  the  glaciers  of  the  encircling  hills  converged,  it  is  imt 
to  be  wondei-ed  at  that,  along  this  part  of  the  coast,  the  chiys 
have  been  so  completely  denuded  and  swe[)t  away,  l('a\  'iii; 
only  small  patches  fringing  the  shores  in  certahi  somewliat 


THE   PROVINCE   OF   KIO   DE   JANEIRO. 


2?> 


slicltcrc'd  positions.  It  seems  an  aru'unuMit  in  favor  of  the 
prevalence  of  glacial  actii)n  in  the  region,  that  the  denndation 
is  so  conijilete,  else  wo  should  have  exjjectcd  to  find  the  sheet 
largely  cut  through  by  valleys,  leaving  more  numerous  outly- 
inir  masses.  As  to  the  aue  of  these  clavs,  more  hereafter.  I 
have  referred  them  to  the  Tertiary,  though  I'rofessor  Agassiz 
is  inclined  to  regard  them  as  drift.  The  superficial  reel 
chiy  deposit  I  believe,  with  Professor  Agassiz,  to  be  drift. 
The  stratified  sands  were  deposited  in  shallow  water  when 
the  sea  stood  only  a  few  feet  higher  than  at  j)rcsent,  and 
tliey  have  been  elevated  l)y  a  recent  rise  of  the  coast,  —  a 
rise  which  I  Ijelievc  to  bo  still  going  on.  The  recent  muds, 
now  accumulating  from  sediment  brought  down  by  the 
streams,  form  a  marshy  fringe  outside  the  raised  beaches, 
i laving  introduced  the  reader  to  the  general  geological 
anil  topographical  features  of  the  vicinity  of  Rio  do  Janeiro, 
let  us  now  examine  somewhat  closely  the  drift  phenomena 
nlist'rvnble  there.  In  the  following  remarks  I  have  pur- 
posely confined  myself  to  the  results  of  my  own  jjersonal 
observations  made  during  e.\tended  excursions  over  the 
country  near  Rio,  and  a  detailed  examination  of  eveiy 
cutting  on  the  Dimi  Pedro  II.  Railroad,  fi'om  the  Great 
Tunnel  to  Ypiranga,  on  the  results  of  whifh  survey  1  have 
niadi'  a  long  report  to  Professor  Aga^siz.  In  connection 
with  this  subject  wc  will  take  into  consideration  some 
of  the  to[)ographical  elements  so  remarkable  in  the  hills 
of  Rio  and  the  Serra  do  Mar.  V  we  examine  the 
gneiss  hills  at  Rio  de  Janeiro  and  the  vicinitv,  we 
find  that  they  are  invariably  covered,  where  the  slojies 
are  not  too  stee]),  l)y  the  same  coat  of  red  soil  which 
Ave  have  observed  on  the  Cantagallo  Railroad.  This 
may  vary  more  or  less   in   the  .     rscncss  or  Ihieness  of 


I.  I 


24 


GEOLOGY  AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY, 


its  ingredients,  bnt  it  invariably  presents  cvcrywliere  the 
same  general  character  of  a  sheet  of  strnctnreless,  unar- 
ranged  material,  composed  of  ground-ni)  gneiss,  perfectly 
devoid  of  stratification,  and  always  of  a  tleep  red  color  pass- 
ing into   yellow   near   the   snrface,    especially   where    the 
material  is  sandy  and  light.     There  is  rarely  any  hnmus, 
because  the  decay  of  vegetable  matter  is  too  rapid  to  allow 
of  its  accumulating  as  a  soil,  as  in  northern  countries.     This 
clay  sheet  varies  in  thickness  from  a  few  feet  t(j  one  hun- 
dred ;  sometimes  it  is  stiff  and  bakes  very  hard,  in  other 
eases  it  is  more  sandy  and  light.     Usually  it  is  quite  free 
from  admixture  with  l)oulders,  Init  sometimes  angular  frag- 
ments of  quartz  of  considerable  size  occur  in  it,  together  with 
rounded  or  angular  masses  of  gneiss  or  diorite.     The  latter 
rocks  arc  almost  always  in  a  decomposed  state,  and,  except 
to  the  experienced  eye,  arc  recognizaljle  only  in  fresh  cut- 
tings.    Under  this  clay  one  sometimes  finds,  as  in  the  cut- 
tings at  Tijuca,a  thin  layer  of  quartz  pebljles  like  that  seen 
on  the  Cantagallo  Railroad,  but  this  is  not  always  present. 
The  surface  of  the  gneiss  on  which  the  drift  rests  is  always 
moulorinee  and  remarkalily  evenly  rounded  down,  and  the 
sheet  of  quartz  i)eljbles  lies  innnediatcly  up(jn  it,  following 
all  its  curves ;  but  the  pel)l)le  sheet  may  be  wanting  over 
large  areas,  or  vary  very  suddenly  and  irregula?'ly  in  thick- 
ness.    The  gneiss  m  s«7/<  is  almost  invarialily  decomposed 
beneath  the  drift  to  a  deitth  varying  from  a  few  inches  to 
one  lumdred  feet.     The.  fel(ls}»ar  has  been  converted  into 
clay,  the  mica  lias  ])arted  with  its  iron,  Scc.^  but  the  altered 
crystals  of  the  gneiss  still  occupy  their  relative   ])osition 
with  reference  to  one  another.     The  jilanes  of  stratification 
arc  Avell  marked,  and  the  veins  of  quartz,  though  cracked 
up,  remain  in  place. 


THE  PROVINCE   OF   RIO  DE   JANEIRO. 


25 


Tliis  extraordinary  decomposition  of  the  Brazilian  piciss 
and  other  rocks  has  long  attracted  attention,  and  Darwin 
lias  described  it  very  accurately  in  his  Geological  Observa- 
tions. He  was  of  the  opinion  that  it  had  taken  place  under 
the  sea  before  the  present  valleys  had  been  excavated.*  Pis- 
sis  also  described  it ;  but  it  appears  to  mc  that  he  has  greatly 
over-estimated  the  depth  to  which  the  softening  of  the  rocks 
has  extended,  when  he  says  that,  in  the  gneiss  region  lietween 
►Slo  Fidelis  and  the  J^erra  dos  Orgaos,  the  gneiss  has  been 
deeom[)oscd  to  a  depth,  in  some  places,  of  800  metres  I  I  f 

'J'his  decomposition  results,  in  my  opinion,  from  the  ac- 
tion .'f  the  warm  rain-water  soaking  through  the  I'ock,  and 
carrying  with  it  carbonic  acid,  derived  n(jt  only  from  the 
air,  but  from  the  vegetation  decaying  uj)on  the  soil,  together 
with  organic  acids,  nitrate  of  ammonia,  etc.  I  believe  that 
the  remarkable  decomi)osition  of  the  rocks  in  ]]razil  has 
taken  place  only  in  regions  anciently,  or  at  present,  covered 
liy  forest.  Heusser  and  Claraz  have  suggested  that  it  is 
aided  bv  nitric  acid.  Thev  sav  :  "  It  is,  without  doubt,  de- 
termined  by  the  violence  and  fre(piency  of  the  tropical  rains, 
and  Itv  the  dissolvhio:  action  of  water,  which  increases  with 
tlie  temperature.  It  is  necessary  to  observe,  moreover,  that 
tliis  water  contains  some  nitric  acid,  on  account  of  the  thun- 
der-storms which  follow  each  other  with  great  regularity 
dnring  nuiny  months  of  the  year."  $ 

Professor  Agassiz  has    discussed   this   suliject   at   some 


*   D:\nvin,  Gcoloprical  Observations,  p.  144. 

t  ri»is,  Miiii.  lie  I'hist.  de  I-'ninn ,  Tom.  X.  p.  ti5B.  It  is  well  to  rcmomlifr 
tliat,  bt.'forc'  tlic  ghu/ial  oriL'iu  of  tlie  clays  overlyiiifj  tlic  (U'coiiiposeil  ruck  was 
pointi'il  out  by  Professor  A<;assiz,  the  tliickness  of  these  clays  was  iiichuleJ 
in  the  estimate  of  the  ileptli  to  which  the  ilccomposition  hail  taken  jjhicc. 

t  MM.  Ch.  Heusser  and  G.  Claraz,  Ann.  des  Mines,  5'"«  Serie,  Mem.,  Tom. 
NVIT.  p.  'J'U. 

M)l..    1.  2 


26 


GKOLOGY  AND  PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


i 


Icnuth  in  the  Jounioy  in  Brazil,  his  opinion  l)cing  that  the 
softenin!^  of  tlie  nx  k  is  dnc  to  the  action  of  warm  rain-water. 
It  has  been  olijeeted  to  this  theory  that  the  stone  em[)h)ye(l 
iji  Brazil  for  hniklinm'  ])urj>oscs  endures  reniarivahiy  '\<'ll, 
showing,  after  llie  lapse  of  centuries,  very  little  chaniie. 
This  arnnnnent,  in  my  opinion,  is  of  very  little  weight,  for 
a  smooth,  naked  surface  from  which  the  water  runs  off 
rapidly,  and  which  is,  the  greater  ])art  of  the  time,  dry,  is 
placctl  under  conditions  very  different  from  those  of  the 
gneiss  oversjjread  by  a  thick  coathig  of  wet  drift  paste, 
and  constantly  soaked  with  water. 

Brazil  is  not  the  oidy  country  in  wliich  the  rocks  have 
softened  to  a  great  depth.  The  same  phenomenon  has  ))cen 
oltserved  in  the  Southern  States  of  the  Union  and  in  India.* 
I  have  seen  gneiss  decomposed  to  a  dejith  of  several  feet  in 
the  vicinity  of  New  York. 

"When  the  gneiss  is  fine-grained,  homogeneous,  and  not 
distinctly  stratilied,  it  is  often  difiicult  to  distinguish  the 
rock  decomposed  in  situ  from  the  drift  ;  but  the  line  of 
demarcation  between  the  two,  even  when  not  nuirked  fy 
the  peitl)le  sheet,  is  usually  easily  distinguishalde  even  in 
old  cuttings.  The  sIojjc  of  a  railway  cutting  is  apt  to  gully 
out  along  the  line  of  junction  of  the  drift  and  the  underlv- 
ing  decomposed  rock.  This  line  is  invariably  gently  undu- 
lating, and  one  never  sees  Jagged  edges  of  strata  or  angular 
masses  projecting  u|)ward  into  the  drift. 

Professor  Agassiz  has  spoken  of  the  valley  of  Tijuca  below 
Bemiett's  as  a  locality  where  the  drift  is  very  beautifully 
exhibited.  The  mountain  mass  of  Tijuca  is  separated  from 
the  mass  of  the  Corcovado  grouj)  by  the  pass  of  Boa  Vista, 

*  Dr.  IV'ii/a  siiys  that  in  tlic  Ncel^rliorrics  frraiiitc  is  somotinitN  (U'coiiiposcil 
to  a  de])tli  of  forty  feet.     (Mailras  .fournul  of  Literature,  &.C.,  Oct.  1836,  p.  246.) 


which  is 
tilt,  valley 

to    llli'    W( 

;i  great  n 
aniniig  tl 
ninuntain 
l.clow  the 


Minor 
south  de? 
clny  is   fi 
ll  we  asc 


THE   ritOVLNCE   OF   RIO   DE   JANEIRO. 


27 


w'licli  is  alioiit  1,000  foot  al)Ovc  the  sea.  Eastward  runs 
tilt,  valley  ol"  Aiularaliy  downward  toward  the  eity,  while 
to  llu'  westward  one  deseend.s  a  most  romantic  valley  to 
a  jjicat  alluvial  j)lain,  in  a  sort  oi'  liay  or  amphitheatre 
nniciiLi'  the  hills.  This  valley,  oceuj)ied  by  a  tum!)linu' 
UKiiuitain  stream,  descends  very  rapidly,  entling  abruptly 
!;rl()w  the  Cascatc  Grande  at  some  height  above  the  plain. 


THE   CASCATISIIA    AT   TUfCA. 


Elinor  valleys  from  Tijuea  and  tlio  mmmtains  to  tlic 
soutli  descend  and  join  this  valley.  At  Bennett's  the  drift 
•  lay  is  full  of  boulders  of  (piartz,  gneiss,  and  greenstone. 
It  wc  ascend  the  brook  which  flows  through  Mr.  JJeniiett's 


U 


28 


GEOLOGY  AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


fazcnda  for  a  few  rods,  we  shall  find  that  it  lias  cut  its  hcd 
through  the  general  clay  sheet  which  everywhere  covers 
the  hills,  and  it  is  perfectly  easy  to  see  that  this  sheet  is  in 
no  })lace  a  deposit  thrown  down  l)y  the  hrook.  This  loose 
material  consists  of  a  brownish  or  reddish  earth  without  the 
slightest  signs  of  stratification,  in  which  are  l)uried  boulders 
of  gneiss,  usually  rounded  and  of  many  qualities,  together 
Aviih  rounded  masses  of  (juartz. 


SECTION   OK   DKIFT   AT    ItKNNETT  .S,   TI.IICA. 

At  c  is  a  very  large  boulder  of  homogeneous,  unlaminated, 
fine-graiiied  gneiss,  from  around  which  the  drift  has  been 
washed  away,  and  this  rests  on  a  mass,  in  sitii,  of  gneiss 
coarsely  crystallized  (porphyritic)  and  well  laminated.  At 
e  we  see  the  gneiss  iti  sitii,  much  decom])osed,  and  laid  bare 
in  a  cutting. 

The  solid  gneiss  beds  are  well  seen  in  the  bed  of  the 
brook,  and  the  rock  is  generally  quite  coarse  and  porphyritic 
in  structure.  I  find  a  note  of  a  strike  N,  "  ')°  W.,  which,  from 
the  generally  uniform  northeastward  strike  seen  elsewhere, 
might  be  suspected  to  be  an  incorrect  observation  ;  but  at 
the  bridge,  a  little  farther  down  the  brook,  1  found  the 
strike  to  be  N.  10^  W.  If  we  follow  down  the  valley  we 
shall  find  the  soil  full  of  boulders,  and  some  of  these  arc 
many  feet  in  diameter. 

As  we  descend  the  valley  still  further  these  l)oulders  arc 
seen  lying  bare,  not  only  in  the  brook  where  the  water  has 
washed  awav  the  loose  material,  but  on  the   hillsides.      1 


•I 
I 

& 


tup:  province  of  rio  de  jaxeiro. 


29 


think  tliat  no  geologist  fiiniiliar  with  drift  j»luMioinoim,  Avlio 
^lionld  snddenl}'  find  liinisLdf  in  this  valley,  would  have  even 
tlie  sliglitest  suspicion  of  tlieir  heing  anything  else  than  the 
most  anii>lc  testimony  of  the  former  prevalence  of  glacial 
fictitin  over  the  region;  yet,  in  the  heginning  of  his  drift 
studies  in  JJrazil,  he  is  almost  sure  to  connnit  some 
oil  -s  hlunders,  for  ii;  is  not  even  a  general  rule  that  the 
loose  lioulilers  found  on  the  surface  arc  erratics.  On  my 
fir-t  visit  to  Tijuea,  very  soon  after  my  arrival  in  Brazil,  and 
lifter  Professor  Agassiz  had  amiounccd  the  discovery  of 
ihift  at  Rio,  I  ^vas  struck  with  the  appearance  of  some 
tra]i  masses  on  a  hillside  near  Bennett's,  which  looked  re- 
niarkalily  like  erratics  ;  hut  a  close  study  of  them  satisfied 
nie  that  they  resulted  from  the  surface  decomposition  of 
a  great  trap  dyke.  Not  descending  far  enough  into  the 
valley,  and  satisfying  myself  that  a  great  proi)ortion  of  the 
gneiss  masses  that  I  examined  at  the  time  were  not  erratics, 
I  came  most  decidedly  to  the  conclusion  that  the  surface 
dcjiosits  of  Rio  were  not  drift,  hut  were  in  some  way  due  to 
the  decomposition  of  the  rock,  as  had  l)een  heretof<3re  sup- 
posed. I  desire  to  record  here  the  fiict,  that  I  hegan  my 
studies  of  the  Brazilian  drift  with  a  conv'ction  that  Pro- 
fessor Agassiz  was  wrong,  and  I  feel  mucii  gratified  that 
my  indeiiendent  ohservations  have  so  fully  confirmed  the 
results  of  his  own.  If  one  descends  the  valley  tcnvards  tiie 
Cascate  Grande,  he  will  see  that  the  valley  is  heaped  with  a 
confusion  of  immense  Ijoulders  tumhled  one  ui)on  another; 
masses  of  greenstone,  weighing  hundreds  of  tons,  piled  up 
with  those  of  gneiss  of  all  qualities.  "Where  these  are  bare 
they  are  always  rounded,  as  is  seen  in  the  engraving,  but  I 
believe  that  this  is  referable,  to  a  very  large  extent,  to  a 
concentric  and   even   decomposition  of    the  surface  ;    but 


30 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGKAl'IIY. 


noiI.DKliS   AT   TI.IIC.A. 


tlicro  is  no  rosistinu;  flie  conclusion  Hint  \vc  have  lioro  a 
niorainic  deposit  from  a  irlacicr  whic.'li  anciontly  occupied  Iho 
valley.  The  al)Ovc  wo(Klcut  is  from  a  stercourapli  published 
by  Lcuzin.irer  at  Rio,  and  represents  the  l)OTdder  masses  above 
the  Cascate  Grande.  Descendini^  to  the  ])lain  below  the 
Cascate,  Avhicli  is  also  seen  in  the  woodcut,  one  traces  the 
drift  clays  and  l)oulders  (piite  down  to  the  plain,  when  they 
end  abruptly,  and  the  flat  lauds  arc  seen  to  be  of  alluvial 
ori<i-in  resting  on  sea  sands,  of  the  same  age  as  the  sands  of 
Pa([ueta  and  the  Cantagallo  Railroad  extension.  One  can- 
not find  in  the  ]»lain,  nor  did  I  ever  see  auywhere  on  the 
b'^ach  sands,  cither  drift  clays  or  boulders. 


Tin:   PROVINCE   OF   RIO   I)K   JANKIRO. 


:U 


Koturniiiir  to  tlic  Dom  Pedro  II,  Railroad,  wc  may  trace 
llio  drift  .shoot  cvorywlioic  from  Uolom  to  the  JIarra  do 
I'iraliy,  over  the  wliole  Serra  do  Mar ;  and  one  ma,\  here 
study  its  structure  in  the  most  dotaiU^d  way.  From  Ikdcm 
til  the  Paraliyba  River  the  same  red  chiy  entirely  covers 
the  surlaee,  lyinji;  even  on  very  high  slo}ies.  Nowhere  is 
iIkmc  the  slightest  sign  of  stratilication,  and  it  is  shari»ly 
(Icfnied  from  the  alluvial  dej)osits  of  the  river.  The  same 
iiilililc  sheet  is  seen  almost  cvcrvwliere,  thout>li  in  cuttiim- 
alter  cutting-  it  may  sometimes  lie  wanting.  JJoulders  are 
laic,  and  arc  almo.st  invariably  so  decomposed  as  to  Ik; 
seen  only  in  fresh  cuttings.  The  rock  on  which  the  di'ifl 
rests  is  always  smoothly  and  evenly  rounded  down.  Tlu.' 
lullowing  diagram  will  illustrate  the  structure  of  one  of 
the  gneiss  hillocks  of  the  ►'^erra  do  Mar. 


.'f  c      g  r 

IDF.AL   SrrriON   of   nniFT-COVF.REI)   CXEISS   IIIT.L. 


(1  a.  Drift  diiy. 

//.  Aiiguliir  fragments  of  quartz. 

b  h.  i'olihlo  sheet  lying  on  rouiKlod  surface  of  gneiss. 

dd.  Gneiss  in  siti'i,  Imt  decomposed. 

ee.  Gneiss  nndecomposed. 

grj.  (Jnartz  and  granite  veins  traversing  Vjoth  solid  and  decomposed  gneiss. 

Among  th{3   first   elements   in   the    Brazilian   mountain 
sccncrv  which   attract   the   attention   of  the   observer   on 


^i' 


•62 


GEOLOGY   AND   TIIYSICAL   GEOGRAl'llY. 


ai)proachiiig  the  coast  near  Hio  arc  the  bare  rook  Klopcs 
^vhich,  instead  of  lorniinL'"  rati'god  precijiices,  as  in  northern 
hititndes,  are  most  reniarkaldy  smooth,  and  devoid  of  irregn- 
hu'ities;  and  tliese  snrfaces,  where  the  rock  is  homogeneous 
in  texture,  usually  have  a  high  sloj)e,  and  rre(|uently  de- 
seend  and  dip  beneath  the  sea  level,  the  sea  washing  over 
their  even  laees.*  Somi'timos  the  top  of  a  hill  is  hare, 
cveidy  moulded,  and  round,  o>  a  rounded  boss  projeets 
from  the  side  of  a  hill.    These  ^h  clitTs  and  rock-shjpcs 

arc  heavily  striped  above  the  se.  k.j  broad  lines  drawn  down 
their  faces,  blackened  by  a  sort  of  cryptogamic  growth  ; 
so  that  these  slopes,  of  a  rich,  rather  pnri»lish,  black  tint, 
show  very  strangely,  csi)ecially  when  set  into  the  mantle  of 
verdure  which  covers  the  hills.  Of  this  character  arc  the 
bare  mass  of  the  Sugar-loaf,  the  ])recipices  of  the  Corcovado, 
and  the  steep  slojjes  of  hundreds  of  hills  in  the  vicinity. 
Ai)proaching  nearer  to  one  of  these  slopes,  wc  find  that  its 
surface  is  often  scored  l)y  a  system  of  little  rain-courses, 
and  is  covered  by  cactuses  and  bromeliaceous  plants. 

The  Pedra  Bonita  is  a  bare  mass  of  rock  opposite  the 
Gavia,  but  not  so  high.  It  is  partly  surrounded  by  almost 
vertical  slopes,  and  on  top,  over  a  large  area,  is  bare  and 
rounded  off.  Here,  though  one  may  oljservc  the  same 
thing  elsewhere,  the  way  in  which  this  rounding  and 
smoothing  down  of  the  rock  is  produced  may  be  studied, 
and  one  is  soon  forced  to  believe,  that,  whatever  the  gla- 
ciers may  have   contributed   to  the   shaping  of  the  topo- 

*  These  evenly  rounded,  wave-washed  rock  slopes  are  very  interesting,  and 
have  already  been  called  attention  to  by  Darwin  (Geolo^ncal  Observations,  p. 
144).  Such  slopes  may  be  seen  not  only  on  the  shores  of  the  quiet  bays,  but 
exposed  to  the  full  wash  of  the  Atlantie  waves,  as  at  the  mouth  of  the  Pay  of 
Rio  and  elsewhere.  In  describing',  farther  on,  the  Bay  of  Espirito  Santo,  I  shall 
show  how  these  wave-washed  slopes  originate. 


THE  I'HoviNri:  OF  no  de  Janeiro. 


•jnijiliical  features  of  the  country,  the  freneral  nionldniir  of 
llic  hills  has  hcou  due  primarily  to  suhaerial  (Icuudiition. 
Tlir  iiiu'iss  of  tlie  Pcdra  Bouita  is  decouiposiug.  Where  the 
rock  is  level  the  decomposed  feldspar,  ttc.  has  heeu  washed 
iiwiiv  li\"  the  riiin,  and  we  have  the  nick  covered  by  a  thin 
cnatiim'  of  loose  (piartz  <rraius,  which  I  hardly  need  say  are 
iiiiLiiiliir.  AN'here  there  is  a  decideil  sloju',  the  loose  sand  is 
uii>lie(l  or  blown  away.  The  rock  itself  is  much  softened 
(111  the  surface,  and,  to  a  consideralile  de|)th,  the  fehhpar 
has  heen  Uiorc  or  less  altered.  This  semi-decomposed  layer 
I'onns  a  concentric  coat  over  the  wIkjIc  rock.  Sometimes 
this  is  continuous  and  unbroken,  but  if  the  area  exposed  be 
larL'C,  we  usually  fhid  that  there  is  a  tendency  for  it  t(j  sep- 
arate itself  from  the  undecom])osed  rock  below,  and  to 
crack  up.  Sometimes  this  layer  is  oidy  a  few  inches  in 
thickness,  in  others  it  mav  be  several  feet.  AVhen  the 
surface  is  horizontal,  or  nearly  so,  the  tendency  is  for  it 
to  break  up  Ihuilly  into  small  an<>'ular  })ieces,  which,  wasting 
away  and  rounding  down  by  decomposition,  cover  the  rock 
with  loose,  boulder-like  masses,  or  are  entirely  removed, 
leaving  a  smooth,  unencumbered  surface.  If  the  slo])0  be 
very  steep  or  vertical,  the  decomposed  mass  may  fall  or  slide 
olT.  On  very  steep  slopes,  as  those  of  the  Sugar-loaf,  Cor- 
cdvado,  ^h)rro  de  Santa  Theresa,  and  elsewhere,  this  sheet 
scales  olf  and  falls,  breaking  up  lielow.  The  Brazilian  gneiss 
clilTs  rarely  have  a  talus  of  liroken  fragments  at  their  Itase. 
The  (h'comjiosition  going  on  eveidy  all  over  their  face  gives 
only  sand  and  clay,  "washed  doAvn  by  the  rains  and  distril>- 
uti'd  over  the  earthy  slope  ])elow,  and  the  half-d'>  nnposed 
fragments  soften  and  finally  decomi)ose  entirely.  One  must 
lio  verv  careful  in  examining  a  cuttinti"  that  runs  under  a  high 
clitV.  for  the  earth  resulting  from  the  decomi)osition  of  the 

2»  C 


34 


GEOLOr.Y   AND   PHYSICAL   (IKOGnAPIIY. 


liicc  ofllic  cliir  rcsciiililt's  more  or  less  Hk;  dri  ft -en  rlli  sprcaii 
<)\('r  llic  surfiicc  of  the  ^Tound.  Ortciitimcs  n  mass  of 
liiiir-dt'connioscd  i-()c'k  sciuiriitcs  itself  from  llio  lace  of  tlic 
cliff  ill  a  trreat  lenticular  sheet.  This  mav  crack  across 
liori'/.oiitally,  particularly  if  tlie  plane  t)f  Hlraliricatioii  cuts 
the  surface  of  the  clif]"  in  this  way,  and  the  lower  half  may 
droj)  oil",  leaviuu;  au  ovcrhanti'in^  })f)rtion  attachcil  to  the 
cliir.  One  may  observe  hauling  nuisses  of  this  kind  at- 
tached to  the  j)recij)icG  of  the  Sugar-loaf  and  Corcova<l(». 
and  in  innumerable  other  gneiss  localities.  If  wo  exam- 
ine one  of  the  rounded  gneiss  hills,  —  as,  for  instance,  one 
of  those  just  behind  the  Dom  Pedro  11.  IIosi»ital  at  llota- 
logo,  when^  part  of  the  hill  is  bare  and  steep,  —  lookiiiL' 
at  the  hill  in  a  cross-section,  we  may  observe  that  the  gen- 
eral rounded  curves  of  the  drift-covered  portion  are  ([uite 
out  of  harmony  with  those  of  the  bare  i)ortions,  Avhich  arc 
usually  flatter,  and  we  may  further  notice  that  the  very  stec'ii 
slojK'S  or  preei])ices  are  usually  on  the  side  of  the  hill  awaj 
from  which  the  strata  diji.  This  is  the  case  on  both  sides 
of  the  IJotafogo  valley,  hi  the  following  diagram  I  have  | 
tried  to  represent  the  difference  in  moulding  ))etween  ;i 
daciatc'd  surface  and  that  of  one  of  these  bare  cliffs. 


niAGKAM    TO    SHOW    COKTUAbT   IN    Mdll-DINc;    Uf;TWi;KN    DltlFT-COVEUED   A.NP 

BAliE    SUUFACKS. 


Tin:  riioviNCK  of  imo  di:  .iant.iko. 


Tlic  ontlinc  of  the  (Iriff-covcnMl  jiortion  (»!'  tin*  liill.  <(  f>, 
liiis  lircii  iiiio1ijiii^(mI  since  the  diil't  ;  loi' tliotiuli  t!iu  ruck  lias 
1,1  (11  |ii()tccl(Ml  liy  tlio  (li'ifl,  the  jiiieiss  has  (lee()in|M>se(l,  Imt 
hiis  reiiiaiiieil  ///  situ.  Over  the  face,  A  <',  the  (lecniM|invi- 
tinii  has  p)iie  on  also;  lait  i'mei!  the  slope  has  not  iieeii 
jiiiitecteil,  it  has  worn  constantly  hat'lvwurfls,  ^'i-owinji'  gruil- 
uiillv  more  re<^iilar  in  outline  as  each  new  (leeonipostMJ  coat 
WHS  thrown  oil'.  II'  one  will  take  the  pains  to  examine 
tlic  curves  resultinu'  from  the  decomposition  of  iiarc  >ur- 
laccs,  ami  lhos(!  which  result  I'l'om  decomposition  wlieic, 
iis  under  a  drilt-sheet,  the  dee'oniposed  rock  remains  ///  ,s//^', 
lie  will  he  convinced  that  the  monldin^ii;  of  the  surface  of  the 
L;ii(i>s  on  wliieli  the  drift  rests  is  of  ail  altoji'etlu'r  different 
character  i'roni  that  resultinir  from  simjile  snhaerial  (k'uu- 
(hition. 

The  sands  containinir  recent  sliells  alomj^  the  Bay  of  Rio, 
and  elsewliere,  and  whicli  lise  to  the  lieiuht  of  a  few  feet 
alidvc  hiu'h-water  mark,  bespeak  a  recent  (devation  (d"  the 
coast,  as  lias  heen  ohscrved  independently  l»y  his  Ma/p-sty  the 
Eniperoi',  Dr.  Ca[»anenia,*  and  myself;  hut  there  are  othei- 
pnjofs  of  the  same  upheaval  in  the  holes  cxcavate(l  liy  x'n- 
urchins,  which  are  found  in  the  vicinity,  in  many  places 
juaiiy  feet  ahovo  hiuh-water  nuirk. 

The  islands  of  Maricas  lie  a    few    miles   olT  the    coast 


*  Dr.  Ci.  S.  lie  raii.aneiiia  has  written  more  or  less  on  the  freoloiry  of  I^nizil. 
One  i)t'  his  iiapers  iiu'iitioned  tiy  Hiirtou  hears  the  title,  "  l)ec(iiii]io>ii.no  dos 
IVih  iliis  no  Bra<il,"  ami  was  jiiihli^hed  at  J{io  in  ISfifi.  I  am  very  sorry  tliat  I 
iiave  iR'vir  seen  any  of  the  jiapors  of  this  gcolojrist,  who  has  travelled  very  ex- 
ten-iveiy  over  the  Eniiiire.  I  know  of  his  work  only  throu;:h  (|notations  or 
references.  From  a  MS  of  Major  Contiidio,  jilaced  in  my  hand-;  liy  I'rofcvsor 
Airassiz,  I  should  infer  tlntt  Dr.  Cajianenia  is  a  disbeliever  in  the  ^.'laeiai  ..rijrin 
of  ilie  surfaee  deposits  claimed  hy  Professor  Apassiz  and  my.scif  to  lie  drift,  and 
that  lie  rather  considers  them  to  he  the  result  of  decomposition  alone. 


r.G 


GKOLOGY   AND   I'lIYSICAL   GKOflRAI'IIV. 


))Chveoii  Rio  niul  Ca])C  Frio.  They  arc  cnniposed  of 
gneiss  in  licds  of  uue<iujil  liardness,  and  a  most  oxeellent 
ojiportunity  is  afforded  for  llio  comparison  of  glaeiateil 
rock  sui'faees  and  surfaces  denuded  by  sultaerial  decom- 
position, or  wave  action.  The  genei'al  surface  of  the  isl- 
ands is  rcjunded,  and  is  covered  by  drift  chiy.  Some  bare 
rocks  are  evenly  rounded,  I)ut  along  the  shore,  where  the 
waves  l)eat,  the  softer  beds  arc  worn  away  more  deeply  than 
the  hard  ones,  and  the  sui'facc  is  very  irregular.  On  the 
rocks  a  species  of  Evitinonivtra  (ii.  MiclwHni  Desor),  a  sea- 
nrchin  with  moderately  long,  dark-jturple  spines,  is  very  com- 
mon, living  in  a  zone  extending  downwards  from  some  dis- 
tance I lelow  high-water  nuirk.  Here  they  arc  found,  each  in  a 
cu}>-shaped  depression  worn  in  the  rock,  and  in  some  places 
the  I'ock  is  fairly  honeycoml)ed  on  the  surface  l)y  their 
"nests."  Al)ove  the  zone  of  living  sea-urchins  the  nests 
arc  found,  but  they  arc  emi)ty,  and  in  i)rotected  localities, 
as,  for  instance,  in  narrow  oj)enings  between  rocks,  they 
may  Ito  ol (served  to  extend  to  a  height  of  several  feet  aljovc 
high-water  level,  showing  that  the  elevation  of  the  coast  has 
been  very  recent.  I  have  observed  that  the  nests  api)ear 
less  and  less  well  juTserved  the  higher  we  examine  them, 
which  has  convinced  me  that  the  u])hcaval  has  been  a 
gradual  one,  and  1  l)elieve  that  it  is  still  in  progress. 

"^I'lie  coast  between  Rio  and  Cape  Fi'io  is,  for  a  .irge  part, 
high  and  exceedingly  ])icturesque.  Many  of  tli''  hills  are 
bare  and  strangely  shaoed.  The  following  sketch  represents 
the  coast  as  seen  from  near  the  island  of  Marictis.  To  the 
left  are  the  hills  of  Rio. 

Long  sea-beaches  stretching:  across  bays  formed  l)y  tin' 
hills  h.ive  formed  lagoons  along  this  coast,  and  the  low 
arounds    between    the    mouth   of  Rio    and    Ponta   XcLini 


THE  I'lJOVINCK   OF   RlO   DE   JANEIRO. 


o< 


COAST  JLST    1;AST   r)K    lilO. 


arc  litim'ly  occupied  by  swamps  and  liiuooiis.  Of  tlio  latter 
llic  must  iiotaltle  is  the  Laji'oa  de  Mariea,  which  i.  soiuc  six 
n.ilcs  lon^',  salt,  and  se]»ai'ated  from  the  sea,  like  the  LaiiAii  dc 
Ficitas,  hy  a  sand-beach,  through  which  the  iiib;iliitants  are 
obli'ictl  occasionally  to  cut,  in  order  to  uivc  passiiuc  to  llic 
waicrsofthc  lake  durinir  times  of  freshets.  This  lake,  as 
well  as  the  others  along  this  coast,  is  extraordinarily  rich 
in  fish. 

A  sandy  shore  extends  from  west  to  east  from   Ponta 
Ncui;!  bi  Ca|)eFrio.     ''  It  may  be  eight  or  ten  leagues  wide 


fi 


iiin  the  sea  to  the  eordilheira,  beinu"  I'ouuhcncd  in  this  ii 


tcrval  liy  several  serras,  and  occupic*!   in   jiarts  by  \arioiis 


la- 


lias. 


All  the  flat  part  of  this  plain  is  useless  Ibr  ag 


ri 


tnral  piwjioses  on  account  of  the  depth  of  the  sand,  and  it,- 


lieiiig  overllowed  a  j)art  of  the  year 


This  li 


)W  country  aj)- 


jtcars  to  extend  alon,,  the  Rios  Sjio  Jvjao  and   I'na  to  the 
sea  north  of  (!ape  Frio. 

ha'ina  Sa(iuarema  is  a  large  lake  lying  east  of  l^onla  Xe- 
gia,  and  separated  from  the  sea,  like  the  Lagoa  Mariea,  by  a 
sand  strip.     "■  It  is  three  (Portuguese)  miles  h>ng,  and  three 

*  hicidiinrio  d'eoyrofiro,  iirt.  Maru'd.      This  work   is  a  iiicrc  coiiipihition, 
mill  i^  full  ot'  inaci'unu'it's.     In  (jiintiiiu'  tV mi  it  I  liave  iluuu  so  with  imicli  ciivi'. 


38 


GKOLOGV    AND    PHYSICAL    GEOGRAl'HV, 


(|Mai'tor.s  of  a  Icjijiuc  hi  its  <ri"f'.atcst  width.  It  is  salt,  full  of 
lish,  and  .srj)ai'att'd  from  the  sea  hy  a  narrow  tract  of  sandy 
.ground.  When  the  atljoininu'  jilains  hcsrhi  to  \)v  covcrcfl 
hy  the  Hoods  of  the  streams  which  emi)ty  into  it,  the  iidiuli- 
itiints  of  the  vicinity  open  an  outlet  to  the  ocean  at  the 
eastciii  extremity,  which  remains  an  unfordahle  ri\'cr  during 
the  winter,  at  the  end  of  which  the  surf  closes  it  up,"* 

Lagoa  Araruama  is  a  nari'ow  sti'ip  of  ;;alt  water  ahout 
twenty  miles  long,  and  with  a  varying  width,  in  some  jilaces 
beveial  miles,  lying  on  the  coast  w<'st  of  Cape  Frio,  and 
seji;irate(l  from  the  sea  hy  a,  narrow  ^trip  (jf  sand  thrown 
up  iiy  the  waves.  Ca/al  says  f  that  "it  empties  its(df 
fnjm  its  eastern  extremity  hy  a  cmial  twenty-six  l»racas 
large  at  its  mouth,  which  is  situated  at  a  distance  of  a 
league  and  a  half  north  of  Cape  Frio.  Xotwirhstaudinu' 
that  a  unmlier  of  streams  empty  into  it,  its  waters  are  salted 
hy  the  rommunication  which  they  have  with  the  ocean. 
The  tide  makes  itself  felt  as  far  as  Ponta  (Jrossa,  which  is 
situated  at  ahout  its  uiiddle.     'J'hence  westwaid  the  watei's 


;■()   wi 


th    tl 


le    w 


nds.     It  ahouuds    in   (i^h  of  various  k'nuh 


In    some    ]»arts    it    is    many   i)racas    in    depth. |    in   other: 


one  mav  wade   from  one  shore  to  the  other 


MiUiet 


savs 


y 


ma 


that  ••  hetween  the  sea,  the  city,  and  the  Lake  Arai'au 
are  natui'al  salines,  which  were  ]»rohii)ited  hy  I'oyal  letters 
on  the  2(ith  of  Fehruary,  lOlM),  and'  iSfh  of  January,  10;>1, 
the  rortugnesc  government  intending  therel)V  to  favor  the 


*  Cnriti/ratid  Ih-azilirn,  Tom.  IT.  p.  .38.     'I'liis  old  work  liy  Ci\m\,  i)ublishcd 
1818,  is  very  imicli  nioir  irliiihlo  tliaii  the  Diciioiiiuio  Gco^iratico. 


f. 


'oriynijid  liinti'lnt,  Tom.  II.  |i.  .'iS. 


W 


i  I'rin/.  .Mux.  /.ii  Xi'ii-Wicd,  AV/se  wic/i  /jrtisi"i<"i.  1"  Rand,  8.')*«  .Soito, 
faiidi'ii  das  Wa>si'r  diT  La^:na  vciii  p'rin!:(r  Tictb  mid  so  klar.  das-;  wir 
di'ii  weisM'ii  Saiidlioik'ii  (ks  (iriindcs  niit  siiiu'ii  Korallciiuvwikdiseu  diiitlii  li 
wahnu'liiucu  koniiti'ii :  hci  der  "vriii'irn  Tiit'o  sa>si'u  wir  oft  test." 


THE   PROVINCE   OF   RIO   DE   JANEIRO. 


39 


oonnnorco  of  salt  of  its  own  European  possessions.  Not- 
uitlistiiiidiii^"  the  royal  decrees,  Domiii.u'os  da  Silva  Kilteiro, 
jii(l,i!e-iu-(»i'dinary  of  tiu.s  city,  ordered,  in  17ti>!,  that  the 
ciiuumiiiieatit^n  hctween  fjake  Ai'arnania  and  the  salines  of 
Mii(;al'ainl)a  he  closed,  and  in  tlic  foiiowinii'  year  the  al)ovo 
.salines  I'ni-nished  in  six  months  r)0,()()0  ahjni'ires  of  salt." 

('a|»e  Frio  is  the  name  uiven  to  the  sonthernmost  point  of 
a  liiuh,  i»recii)itous  gneiss  island,  sitnated  at  the  anu'le  where 
the  coast  line,  cominji;  eastward  from  Kio,  hends  noi'thwar<l 
tewanl  Cape  Sao  Thome.  It  is  only  ahout  three  miles  lon,ii', 
very  irre^nlar  in  ontline,  and  is  almost  divided  into  two 
jiarts.  The  northern  is,  accordinu'  to  Monchez,  -'Jlif  metres 
in  altitude.     A  liglithousc  was  erected  on  this  jioint,  but  it 


CAPE  FRIO. 

proved  to  l)e  at  too  orreat  a  height,  l)ein,Q:  nhovo  tlio  level  of 
the  clouds,  so  that  it  had  to  lie  ahandoned.  The  jtresent 
liiihthouse  is  sitnated  at  a  lower  le\'el  on  the  southern  jioint. 
The  island  is  separated  from  the  main-land  hy  a  narrow 
hut  rather  deep  channel.  The  land  ojtposite  consists  of  a 
U'roup  of  tineiss  hills,  formerly  islands,  wliich  have  heeii 
luiited  together  l)y  sand  licaehes  and  sand  ])lains,  whiidi 
rxtend  northwestward,  joining'  the  heaeh  of  Mai.-amliam- 
ha.  or  ^lassandjamba,  and  running  northward  to  the  Ki*; 
Itaitu'u. 


40 


GKOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGPvAPHY. 


Bctwooii  tlic  city  of  Cape  Frio  and  Os  ]>iizios  the  coast  is 
very  ii-rcuiilar  in  onflinc,  rather  \o\v,  witli  small  gneiss  hills 
aloni:;  the  shoi-o,  (onninjL^  occasioiuil  rocky  ])roniontori('s 
which  are  nnited  by  curving-  sea-l)eaclies.  I  (ind  in  my 
notes  the  (|uery  whether  the  low  flat  lands  seen  from  the  sea 
may  not  he  Tertiary.  Towai'ds  Armac^ao  the  coast  is  bor- 
dered by  low  gneiss  hills,  which,  owing  to  the  northwest 
(landward)  dij)  of  the  rocks,  and  the  correspondence  of 
their  strike  with  the  general  trend  of  the  coast,  as  well  as 
from  the  way  in  which  they  have  been  worn  l)y  the  waves, 
present  to  the  sea  perpendicular,  rugged  cliffs  of  no  great 
altitude.  Along  this  coast  are  (piite  a  number  of  little 
rocky  islets  of  gneiss. 

At  ()s  Ihi/.ios*  the  coast  line  suddenly  bends  off  to  tlie 
northwestward,  and  nuis  towards  Sao  Joao,  when  it  curves 
round  and  sweeps  otf  with  a  northeast  trend  to  Cape  Sfn) 
Thome.  The  gneiss  shows  itself  on  the  shore  of  the  jioiiit 
just  east  of  the  town.  It  is  well  laminated,  nmch  plicated, 
and  has  a  general  low  dip  to  the  northwestward.  Tin' 
gneiss  of  the  point  on  the  westein  side  of  the  town  has  very 
nmch  the  same  character.  The  gneiss  behind  the  town 
seems  to  be  overlaid  by  tertiary  clays,  which  show  them- 
selves in  the  point  west  of  the  town  ;  but  I  had  no  opportu- 
nity of  examining  them  with  nmch  care.  They  are  so  nmcli 
denuded  that  they  are  not  easily  recognizable  by  toiK)graph- 


*  Os  ftiizios  takes  its  name  from  its  ricIuK'ss  in  shells.  Amon^^  the  s]ieiies  I 
colleeted  tiierewere  Cdsnis  Miidiiijuscdiidisis  and  Cjijinia  (xnntlicma.  Wiiodwanl 
in  Iiis  Manual  says  that  no  ('_v]ineas  oeenr  on  tlie  Brazilian  eoast.  Cjijmvn 
exdiitliriiiii  is  not  at  all  rare,  ami  oeein-s  also  at  Bahia,  \vln're  I  have  f'ouiul  an- 
other little  speeies  ill  i^reat  ahiindanee.  Se\eral  speeies  of  eorals  oeeiir  at  Os 
Biizios ;  Millijioiii  itlciinniis  is  especially  almiulant.  ami  the  rocks  are  covereil 
with  jiatehes  of  the  common  Paliithoii,  tou-ether  with  a  Zoanthm  witli  an  enier- 
ukl  disk,  eonimoii  oLsewhere  on  the  coast. 


THI-:  PROVINCE   OF   RIO  DE  JANEIRO. 


41 


iciil  features  alone.  There  is  a  small  lull  Just  east  of  the 
village  which  hears  a  little  church.  It  is  cut  away  ou  the 
slinie  hy  the  waves,  and  f(U'nis  a  little  hluff  composed  of 
]'Ouii(lod  (|uart/  jiehbles  derived  I'roui  the  rocks  of  the 
\i(iiiity,  cemented  togetlier  hjosely  hy  a  soft,  greenish 
chiv.  1  have  seen  nothing  like  it  elsewhere.  Westward 
(if  Os  iJuzios  is  (juite  a  range  of  gneiss  liills,  lying  between 
tlic  lirad-waters  of  the  Rios  (Jarcia  and  'I'ra])iche.  The 
slioic  Itcyoud  the  rocky  i>oint  west  of  Os  Buzios  ajipears,  for 
siDiic  distance,  to  he  tertiary,  but  there  are  some  jiatches 
(if  icccnt  sands.  These  dejjosits  ajipear  to  terminate  on  the 
sliiuf  with  a  bright  red  clifT",  very  consjjicuons  fi'oni  a 
distance,  when  the  tertiary  blnlls  recede  from  the  coast, 
and  n  sandy  fiat,  l)acked  by  low  ]»lains,  extends  on  to  the 
gneiss  hills  of  the  Serra  de  Sao  Jono.  Thence  to  Macahc 
nnuli  of  the  shore  is  low,  with  stretches  of  tertiary  clays, 
innic  or  less  denuded,  and  gneiss  hills.  North  of  Macalie 
the  tertiary  plains  soon  recede  from  (he  coast  running  off  to- 
ward ('aiui)()S  on  the  Rio  Parahyba  do  Sul,  the  land  border- 
ing the  coast  being  flat,  more  or  less  swampy,  and  di\ersiried 
by  numberless  shallow  lagoons,  some  nf  which  are  of  large 
extent.  Off  Macahe,  and  distant  a  few  miles  from  the 
shore,  lie  the  little  gneiss  islands  of  Santa  Anna,  known 
t(i  coasters  as  their  only  retreat,  north  of  Os  Ihi/.ios,  when 
stuinis  oi-  northeast  winds  jii-event  them  from  passing  Cape 
Sill)  Tlionid.  There  is  usually  a  strong  current  uiX  the 
Cape,  ])ut  it  is  very  variable.  During  the  ))revalenee  of 
a  Iniio-  utn'theast  blow  it  runs  southward  with  such  rajiidity 
tluit  it  is  impossible  for  coasting  vessels  to  taek  against 
it.  They  may  succeed  in  lieating  \i\)  from  the  islands 
ol  Santa  Anna,  chyse  to  the  shore,  until  they  reach  the 
Cajie,  but  they  arc  then  swci)t  back.     I  was  once  nearly 


42 


GEOLOGY   AND    PHYSICAL   GKOGRArilY. 


ii  loi'liiijiht  l»(;atiii,t:  off"  this  coast  duriiiir  the  pi-cvaloiu'C  of  a 
iiurthcast  iti'cczc,  ain!  1  xisitt-d  the  isUiuds  many  tunes. 
They  are  el'  no  wry  esjteeial  interest,  hut  oni'  may  ()l>serve 
heir  the  sea-ui'cliins'  nests,  raised  aliuve  hi^h-water  mai'iv, 
and  may  study  ^ome  ol'the  t(i|i(»;i'i'a|»hieal  leatnri's  (U'vcdojied 
li\- deeomjiusitiiiu.  I  add  a  litlU'  skettdi  (tf  l\\v  westoi'iunost 
ishiml,  as  seen  IVom  the  noiMheast,  to  sh(j\v  tlic  siuuuthh' 
rounded  character  oi'  its  stcc])  sides. 


--•>-g  -=it^T^^»-^f 


:»^.' 


ONi:   OK   TIIK    ISLANDS   OF   SANTA    ANNA. 


Tlie  Seri'as,  always  ehithed  with  tlie  Airuin  foi-est,  stretc]i 
ah)nii'.  at  varyinii'  distances  (Voni  tlie  coast,  in  a  mav:niliceiir 
ran^U't'  of  hills,  with  steej)  slo))(\s  toward  the  sea,  Inrnun,^'  oin' 
of  the  ,urandest  jianoramas  ol"  mountain  scenery  on  tln' 
coast  of  IJrazil.  Of  the  altitude  of  those  hills  I  have  no  pre- 
cise infoi'mation,  hut  J  should  estimate  some  of  them  as  ;i! 
least  (i.oOO  leet.  There  is  oiu-  very  conspicuous,  oh(disk-liki' 
])eak,  lyiiiLi'  Itehind  ^lacahe,  hut  stancHntr  somewhat  in 
advance  of  the  <2,eneral  ranue  of  the  Serra,  and  called  tlie 
Frade  de  ^hicahe.  Lieutenant  ^louchez*  ;j:i\-es  its  altitmli 
on  one  of  his  charts  as  l,ToO  metres  (."),74o  feet),  -wliiili  ?l 

*  LifUlcnaiU  Muiieluv,  lias  on  his  cliarts  nivcii   tlii'   lu'iirhts  of  various  ].'.' 
.lion;;  tlic  coast,  Imt  I  tind  no  note  a?;  to  whether  tla-y  arc  the  results  of  ai ' 
mcasureiiients, 


.fa 

K'S. 

rvc 

.(•(I 
ost 
hlv 


I'lit 

UK' 
111.' 
ll'C- 

at  w| 


1 1 10     ;^ 
l:|r 


tia 


wiuilil   ;iiiiki 
Minns.     Th 
the   I'lii'iiliyl 
|t:iclic(l  Scrr; 
till'  .Miii'i;ili(' 
(if    ltiiliii|iii;i 
]iirtiii('S(|iir 
All   llic   11 
|1;il;i Kills,  \\Iii( 
lii  I'ity  sdiiic 
Isticti'lics  sou 
:'rii(  liiniiiitii 
nniiioiif  (low- 
is  well   !is   In 
slialldw,  iind 
|iy  ii    1 1  Mill-,  ( 
In  a  ciiiisidoi 
I'll!  tlit'ic  arc 

ti'l'a/c.      ])y  111 
i«'il  liy  tlio 
>lacali('    lias 
iiii'icil  on  lict 
J' "'.((',  Iiy  inoa 
'xi'<'llciif  for 
1)1'  I'oiiiitry. 

Till'  lakes  o 
liiiUou-,  but  1 

*  Owin;;'  to  the 
pivvMlnicc  <,t'  luirt 
11  ti-ii(|ciicy  Hir  1 1 
t  I  havt'  uiuli'rst( 
was  only  two  tlii 


Tin:  rnoviNci:  of  mo  di:  .iankiko. 


4;; 


would  make  it  almost  as  hiuli  as  the  Soi'ra  da  Piodadc  in 
Miiiits.  The  >en'as  break  down  on  icacliiiiu'  the  valley  of 
ilic  l':trahyi)a  River,  Just  below  Sao  Fidelis,  when,  in  de- 
iiirhid  >('fi'as,  they  reeede  somewhat  from  the  coast,  cross 
|tlii'  Mui'iidic  and  ltaba|)uana  rivers,  tyint:'  in  with  the  Scrras 
ml'  ItaliaiMiana  and  Jtapemerim,  and  forming:'  some  wvy 
|iic!incs(|iie  momitain  scenery. 

All  the  Hat,  sandy,  and  swamjty  land,  int(!rs|t('rsed  with 

llii'i'ions,  which  borders  the  liio  I'arahyba  almost  to  ("ami»os, 

la  city  >(»iiie  miles  alM)ve  its  month,  as  well  as  that   which 

Istictclirs  southward  to  Macahc,  or  thei'eabouts,  is  of  ncit  re- 

Icciit  lnrmati()ii,and  is  eomj)osc(l  iirincipally  <>f  samls  and  silt 

Ibri'iioiit  down  by  the  river.     Oil"  the  coast  of  Sa(»  Thome, 

Ijis  well  as  for  some  distance  nortlnvard,  the  water  is  Vi'iy 

shallow,  and  much  discoloi'cd.     These  lands  are  boi'dere(l 

y  ii   liiii'^',  dreary  sand-i)each.*     The   country  behind    is, 

to  a  considerable  extent,  covered  bv  shrubbei'v  and  ti'ees, 

but  there  are  extensive  open  ])lains  whei'e  hei'ds  of  cattle 

Iji'raze.     My  means  of  a  ditch  uniting;  the  lau'oons,  and  di,u'- 

liificd  by  the  name  of  a  canal,  water  communication  ^vith 

^laralic   has   been   opened, f    and    a  considerable    trade    is 

?airi(Ml  (»n  between  the  two  ]>laces,  or  the  settlements  on  the 

I' ii'.ic,  by  means  of  canoes.     Much  of  this  swampy  around  is 

'xcelleut  for  rice,  —  an  important  product  of  this  part  of 

^lic  cuuutry. 

The  lid<es  of  this  retrion  are  very  numerous.     They  are  all 
shallow,  but  some  arc  several  leau'ues  in  diameter.     The 


*  OwitiL^  to  rlic  iKirilicnst  trcml  of  tlio  licacli  Minili  of  Cnpe  Frio,  iind  tlic 
pivvalciiri'  of  nonlioast  winds,  tiio  \va\TS  strii-;f  tlic  l^'acii  oliliiiiii'iy,  iiiid  tiaTe 
|s  11  triiiliiicy  for  riu-  saiuls  to  move  soutlnvanl.     Tliere  an-  no  iliiiu's  Irtc. 

*  I  luivc  luulorstonil  that  this  canal  was  tiuished,  but  rompL'o  says  that  iu  1S64 
was  (jiily  two  thirds  coniiilotod. 


44 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPUY. 


lai'frost  is  Laifua  Fcia,  an  irrcLMilar  lake  sonic  twenty  miles 
lonj^,  lyinjj^  al»out  ten  miles  soiitii  of  Campos.     0\vin<,^  to  its 
great  area  and  its  very  small  deplli,  its  waters  are  kei)t  con- 
stantly turbid  tlirougli  their  agitation  hy  the  winds.     It  re- 
ceives from  the  west  (luitc  a  little  stream,  the  Rio  Maeal)ri, 
which  rises  near  the  Serra  do  Fradc.     This  river  is  navi- 
gable  for  canoes   for  some  twenty  miles  above   the  lake. 
Another  nKJuntain  stream  of  eonsidera))le  importance  rise:; 
among  the  Serras  just  north  of  the  Maeabu,  and  uniting  in 
its  com-se    several    large    l'ik;^'s,    also   enters    Lagoa   Fcia. 
This  lake  is  united  on  all  sides  with  a  multitude  of  lagoons 
of  greater  or  less  size  by  a  perfect  netwoik  of  little  channels, 
so  that  its  waters  flow  partly  to  the  north  into  the  Para- 
hyl)a,  while  in  [)art  they  escape  into  a  system  of  long  narrow 
lagoons  that  stretch  along  Ju.st  behind  the  beach  ridges  of 
the  shore  at  Cape  Sao  Thome,  and  comnnmicate  l)y  channels 
across  the  beach  with  the  sea.     One  of  these  lagoons,  which 
passes  by  the  name  of  the  Rio  Tguassu,  is  some  fifteen  miles 
long.     It  has  evidently  been  formed  by  the  throwing  uj)  in 
very  recent  times,  probably  during  the  prevalence  of  somo 
very  heavy  storm,  of  a  line  of  .'^and-bcacli  Just  outside  of  the 
shore.     Similar  lagoons  arc    found    elsewhere    along    tlii 
coast,   as   for   instance    just    south  of    Belmonte,   on  the 
Je(iuitinhonha,  and  I  belicA'C  that  the  great  line  of  saml- 
beaches  stretching  along  the  coast  was  thrown  nj),  to  beniii 
with,  by  an  extraordinarily  heavy  storm  which  prevaik'J 
along  the  whole  coast,  auvl  which,  in  many  instances,  wlicre 
the  Avater  was  verv  shallow,  disturbed  the  bottom  at  some  i 
little  di.stance  outside  of  the  shore  line,  throwing  up  a  saiu! 
barrier  which,  through  the  drifting  of  sands  by  the  winds,a5| 
well  as  by  the  action  of  the  waves,  has  shicc  reached  its  ])res- 
ent  dimensions.     During  the  overflow  of  the  Parahyha  its 


THE   I'ROVINCK   OF   IIIO   DE  JAXEIHO. 


4.J 


wat<M'S  lifM'k  up  over  much  of  the  plnin  on  both  sides  of  tlio 
river,  ami  the  country  liceoiucs  largely  sul)imM'^vcl.  At  the 
tJiiH'  cf  tli<'  cnc'lieiite,  or  aiumal  freshet,  the  inhahitaiits  cut 
outlets  across  the  sea-heaches  for  some  of  the  hikes  in  the 
soiitlii'rn  part  of  the  canipos.  North  of  the  I'arahylia,  and 
iiiiii- the  city  of  Campos,  there  is  another  hir<re  hd<e  caUed 
hiiti'Vi  do  Cani])(dh»,  and  the  conntiy  thence  northward  to  the 
(JiiiixiiKUha  is  fidl  of  higoons  and  ent  u\)  hy  little  channels. 

Till!  i*arahyhacm])ties  into  the  sea  hy  two  mouths,  distant 
some  two  miles  IVom  one  another,  and  between  which  is  the 
lliia  do  Lima.  'I'he  delta  of  the  Parahyba  projects  two  or 
tliive  miles  Ijeyond  the  general  line  of  the  coast.  The 
mouths  of  the  I'iver  are  obstructed  by  ])ars,  over  which  the 
waves  at  times  break  fearfully,  and  an  entrance  can  (U'dina- 
rily  lie  elTected  only  at  high  tide  ;  yet  small  coasting  steamers 
Mild  vessels  do  enter,  and  small  river  steamers,  and  somc- 
liiues  even  schooners,  ascend  as  far  as  Campos.  At  the 
mouth  on  the  south  side  is  the  miserable  little  town  of  Sao 
.lo;l(i  da  I>arra,  built  on  a  sand-l»ank  Avhich  admits  of  no  cul- 
tivutiou  whatever.  It  contains  some  two  thousand  inhabi- 
tiints,  who  subsist  principally  by  fishery,  shipbuilding,  and 
conuuercc.  It  owes  its  importance  to  the  sole  fact  that  a'cs- 
sels  arc  often  long  delayed  either  ofTthe  bar  waiting  to  enter, 
or  inside  waiting  to  go  out,  and  this  keeps  up  a  little  trade. 
In  its  lower  course  the  river  is  wide  and  shallow.  Mangrove 
swamps  and  low  grounds,  sometimes  covered  with  bushes 
and  trees,  often  wavhig  with  the  tasselly  spikes  of  the 
Hid  {(hinerium  j/cwi'ifolium  Nees),  border  it  for  a  few 
miles,  but  by  and  1)y  the  banks,  which  arc  comi»osed 
of  the  richest  alluvial  clay,  grow  higher,  and  thence  to 
Campos  the  beautiful  river  is  bordered  by  immense  sugar 
plantations,   and    the    scenery    is    enlivened    by   freijuent 


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WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

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ii 


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4i\ 


GEOLOGY    AND    PHYSICAL    GEOGRAniY. 


fazondas  niul  llio  fiilii'icas  with  tlicir  tall  smoko-stacks. 
The  plains  ai'o  cox  (.'red  with  thick  IkmIs  of  sill,  dcjiositcq 
by  the  I'ivci*  diii'inii'  tlio  annual  ovcrllows. 

The  waters  el'  the  Pai'ahyha,  as  well  as  of  all  the  nu)uii- 
tain  streams  of  the  i)roviuec  flowing  throuiih  liiieiss  iv- 
gions,  are  veiy  tui'hid  and  usually  of  a  milky  Ijrown- 
ish  tin.ue,  throwing-  down  a  copious  scdiuient,  e\'en  in  (hv 
times;  hut  when  the  river  is  swollen  hy  i-ains,  the  (puiii- 
tity  of  silt  is  very  nuich  increased.  This  material,  Avhethcr 
derived  from  the  gneiss  rock  itself  or  from  the  drift,  consists 
chielly  of  decomposed  feldsj)ar  and  mica,  and  the  water  of  tlic 
rivei-  is  glistening  with  the  minute  silvery  flakes  of  the  latter 
minei'al.  The  soil  dej)osited  l»y  the  river  is  very  })roductivc 
in  sugar-cane,  and  the  region  round  about  Camjxjs  manu- 
factures a  very  large  amount  of  sugar  and  rum,  the  former  of 
a  very  good  (juality ;  and  this  is  the  ])rincij»al  jtroduct  of 
the  plains.  At  Campos  the  country,  though  Hat,  is  sonii- 
what  higher,  and  one  may  see,  from  an  inspection  of  the 
river-bank,  that  the  alluvial  deposits  are  underlaid  liy 
tertiary  clays  which  have  been  more  or  less  denuded. 

Notwithstanding  the  turbidness  of  the  water  of  the  Para- 
liyba,  it  is,  when  the  sediment  has  been  deposited,  very  ])()t- 
able,  and  maybe  preserved  for  a  long  time.  The  usual  cus- 
tom is  to  keep  the  water  in  great  earthen  jars,  somctiiues 
weeks  or  months  betbre  using  it. 

The  city  of  Campos  is  a  respectable  town  of  aliout  twenty 
thousand  *  iidiabitants,  built  on  the  right  bank  of  the  riv(M', 
Its  trade  consists  ]trincipaHy  in  sugar  and  coifee,  and  it  is  a 
l>lacc  of  extraordinary  stir.     The  vicinity  is  flat  and  fertile, 

*  At  k'iist  so  says  ronii)('o  in  liis  Gcoj^rapliy.  As  tliorc  lias  Ik'cii  no  regular 
census,  it  is  impossible  to  give  with  accuracy  the  number  of  inhabitants  of 
Brazilian  tov.ns. 


liiid  largely  ci 
ilic  C^fL-yabeira 
Cmiiiira  B.(i(l 
iiKinufactured 
(|iuintity    fron 
wliich   in  the 
loiiu  shallow 
wvll  as  in  the 
I'lins  Macahe-' 
aluuulancc  of 
lound  laying  i 
oivd,  and  wei 
swamps  are  a 
The  Rio  M 
hylia  from  tlu 
iiig  its  rise  in 
|i(M'haps  400  01 
to  the  first  fa 
during  an  icht 
ill  the  vicinity 
of  the    Parah 
see.     Two   m 
Daroness  of  ^1 
•reneral  level, 
hills,  and  cov( 
Ascending 
character  are 
of  tertiary  cl 
hlulfnear  Jui 
(if  seventy  fc 
(.'Diirsc    dark- 
over   which 


THE   PHOVIXCE   OF   RIO   DE   JANEIRO. 


47 


mill  lar.u'cly  oultivntod  lor  sntrar.  In  tlie  vicinity  of  Campos 
tlic  Ci  yalicii-a,  or  (Inava-trco  of  tlio  West  huVw'i  {  Psitfiiioi 
(liKiiiii'd,  Rad(li).  is  vcm'v  laruelv  euUivatcd,  and  llic  IVnit  is 
iiKinufac'tured  into  a  sweetmeat  which  is  exported  in  g'reat 
(|nautity  Irom  Campos.  There  are  extensive  low  tracts 
which  in  the  wet  season — in  part  for  the  whole  year  — 
Inini  shallow  lagoons  and  marshes.  In  these  marshes,  as 
well  as  in  the  ditch,  diii'iiiUcd  l»y  the  name  of  canal,  which 
runs  ^lacahe-ward,  ^Ir.  Coiiehmd  and  I  collected  a  great 
aliiiiidancc  of  amimllarite,  planorljes,  ttc.  The  former  I 
luiind  laying  in  June.  The  eggs  were  large  and  salmon-col- 
(ir.'d,  and  were  attached  in  hunches  to  the  grass.  These 
swamps  are  also  rich  in  fish,  Fiahas,  Acaras,  Trahiras,  ttc. 

The  Rio  ^furiahe  is  a  little  stream  cntcriiii!:  the  Para- 
liylia  from  the  north  a  short  distance  ahovo  Campos,  tak- 
ing its  rise  in  the  province  of  Minas.  At  its  mouth  it  is 
jicrliaps  400  or  oOO  feet  wide.  It  is  navigahlc  for  a  few  miles 
t<i  llie  first  falls.  The  following  observations  were  made 
dining  an  ichthyological  excursion  up  the  river  :  The  lands 
ill  the  vicinity  of  the  mouth  of  the  river  along  the  left  hank 
(if  the  Parahylta  arc  alluvial  and  flat,  so  far  as  I  could 
SIC.  Two  uiiles  uj)  the  river,  near  the  fazcnda  of  the 
iiaroness  of  Muriahe,  the  ground  rises  somewhat  above  its 
iiriu'ial  level,  is  hummocky,  diversified  by  immense  ant- 
hills, and  covered  by  a  red  drift  soil. 

Ascending  a  little  farther,  higher  grounds  of  the  same 
character  arc  cut  through,  and  they  are  seen  to  be  composed 
of  tertiary  clays  and  saiulstones,  as  may  be  observed  in  a 
Miitf  near  Jundiu.  At  Pestrclla  the  land  rises  to  a  height 
of  seventy  feet,  and  is  composed  below  of  a  thick  bed  of 
coarse  dark-red  sandstone,  extending  below  water-level, 
over   which   are    beds   of    whitish   and    red  sandy   clays. 


48 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GLOGRAniY, 


Tlicsc  hills^  arc  outliers  of  the  tertiary  lied.s  of  tlie  coast. 
mueli  (IciukUmI  1)v  lilacial  action.  A  laru'e  part  of  the  hinds 
bordering-  the  river  are  h)W,  and  ahove  the  fazcniUi  of  the 
]>ai'ao  d"]taha]»nana  the\'  consist  of  Ijeds  of  horizontally 
stratified  sa.nds  above,  with  irregularly  stratified  hrown 
clav(n'  eartli  l)elo^v.  In  this  last  were  lavers  of  a  dark  nia- 
terial,  wliich  appeared  to  he  made  uj)  of  leaves.  I  may  here 
state  that  it  has  heen  reported  that  coal,  or  lignite,  occurs 
in  the  vicinity  of  Campos.  1  have  seen  no  signs  of  }»akeozoic 
or  secondary  rocks  anywhere  in  the  province  of  Rio  do 
Janeiro,  and  at  Campos  I  could  not  learn  of  the  existence 
of  any  such  deposits.  The  report  may  have  originated  from 
these  recent  vegetable  deposits  on  the  3Iuriahe.  Gneiss 
shows  itself  at  the  fazenda  of  l^iranga.  Above  the  fazenda 
of  Oiteiro  the  plains  cease,  and  the  river  winds  among  gneiss 
hills,  some  of  which  are  of  considerable  altitude  ;  the  Morro 
do  Sapateiro,  distant  a  few  miles  noi'thwest  of  the  S^anta  Rita, 
being  perhaps  2,000  feet  in  altitude,  while  the  Serra  da 
Onra,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  is  set  down  by  Mou- 
chez  as  1,400  metres  in  height. 

The  soils  of  the  higher  lands  I  examined  on  the  Muriahc' 
were  not  good,  l»ut  thos  of  the  lower  were.  The  princi[)al 
product  of  the  region  is  sugar,  and  there  arc  some  immense 
fabricas  on  the  river,  as,  for  instance,  those  of  Tae})ebas* 
and  the  one  belonging  to  Senhor  Joao  Caldas  Yianna,  Jr., 
which  were  the  only  ones  we  visited. 

At  the  warehouse  of  Senhor  Amaral,  at  the  head  of  naviga- 
tion, the  country  consists  of  gneiss,  with  rather  low  rounded 
hills  bordering  the  river,  aiul  higher  ones  on  the  southwest. 
At  the  warehouse  I  found  the  strike  X.  Go°  E.,  dip  85^  W., 

*  Tliis  factory  is  worked  by  steam,  and  the  molasses  is  separated  from  the 
sugar  by  centrifugal  motion. 


and  a  short  di 
Maria  das  Tac 
lliir-graiiu'd  gi 
M'Micid.  (Jan 
111  nscendinu 
ilic  liead  of  stt 
liiic^t  jtieccs  of 


LOOKING 


Foi'  about  or 

rniiiitiT  l)or(lerii 

and  more  unev 

Wlnit  appears 

&  range  is  on  the 

'I  a  largo  dome-sl 

t(.tns  sides.     Re 

lirnniiiiriit  hills 

;j  which  a  hirge  ])i 

'i^  in  {.'ampos  is  oh 

I  o])jii)sito  the  Sa| 

I  '^an  Fidclis  in  a 

J  'if  tlie  ])oaks  n 

Till'  sides  of  th 

%,  those  of  Rio.     ] 

Vol..    1. 


THE   PROVIN'CE   OF   EIO   DK   JANKICO. 


40 


i 


[\w\  a  sliort  distance  u\)  llic  river  at  tlic  fazciida  de  Santa 
Maria  das  'I'aepehas  ]  oljserved  a  well  lanunaU'd  ura\-  and 
liiir-ii'raintMl  <z'ii(.iss,  with  stril<c  X.  (JO  -('»J  E.,  dip  neai'lj 
M'l'lical.     (larnets  arc  abnndant  in  the  rock  here. 

J 11  ascendin<^'  the  Parahylia  from  Campus  to  Sao  Fidclis, 
till'  licad  of  steam  navig-ation,  we  liave  bel'ore  ns  (jne  ol'  tlic 
liiiost  pieces  of  river  and  monntain  scenery  on  tlie  coast. 


■/iF?*a=  -i;j 


LOOKING  rr  THE   RIO  PAUAHYnA   FROM    ABOVE   CAMPOS. 

Fill-  ahont  one  third  of  tlic  distance  al)Ove  Camj^os  the 

iiiiiutiv  l)ordcrino;  the  river  is  flat.     It  then  l)ecomes  liiulier 

mill  more  uneven,  and  o-nciss  is  seen  in  tlie  ri\er-lianks. 

Wliat  appears  to   lie    the   hiuhest   ])oint  of  the    Sapateiro 

I'lii'ic  is  on  tlie  Parahyha  River,  on  the  lel't  hank.     It   is 

:i  !ai\ue  dome-shaped  hill,  with  more  or  less  hare,  prccijii- 

ti'iis  sides.     Between  it  and  the  river  are  several  other  rpfite 

liriiiiiiii(.'nt  hills,  in   the   first  of  which   are  (juarries.  from 

\vlii(li  a  laru'C  ])art  of  the  pieiss  nscd  for  huildiiiLi'  pnrjioscs 

in  (';iin|ii)s  is  obtained.     On  the  western  side  of  the  river 

itplMisite  the  Sa])ateiro  ranu'C  stretch  westward  the  serras  of 

^^ilo  Fidclis  in  «a  series  of  sharp  peaks.     The  heiulit  of  some 

of  the  peaks  must  be  at  least  o.oOO  feet,  ])robably  more. 

The  sides  of  the  mountains  are  all  regularly  rounded  like 

those  of  Rio.     Like  the  Organs,  some  of  the  hills  are  very 
vol..  I.  a  D 


50 


GEOLOGY    AND   PHYSICAL    GKOGRAPIIY. 


sliai'jt,  lint  tlicy  nro  not  so  prominont  as  to  ••'ivo  to  lliis  Inmi- 
scojio  so  sti'ikiiiu;  a  character  as  the  Organs  do  to  the  sconciv 
of  the  sci'i'a  of  that  name.  The  ,u'noiss  of  Sao  Fidclis  is  similar 
to  Hint  of  Rio,  and  contains  a  hu',u'0(inantity  of  oarn('ts,sonir 
fif  llic  crystals  of  which  are  an  indi  and  a  half  in  diamet(^i', 
At  a  rocky  place  by  the  i-ivcr-sidc  1  ohsei'ved  a  strike  nt' 
X.  (14°  1'].,  the  dip  lieinn- vertical.  At  SHo  Fithdis  navigation 
ends.  Above  that  point  the  river  is  fnll  of  rapii's,  oI)stnict- 
cd  by  rocks,  and  is  navigable  oidy  for  canoes  and  the  likr. 
The  lands  of  the  immediate  vichiity  are  not  largely  culii- 
vated. 

At  Cantagallo,  dnring  the  reign  of  the  first  A'ice-King  o: 
Brazil,  gold  was  discovered  by  certain  seekers  and  snnii;- 
glcrs  of  gold,  garimpeiros,  Avho,  (piietly  taking  possession  of 
the  ])lace  for  many  years,  extracted  gold  in  secret,  and  i; 
was  a  long  time  before  the  Brazilian  government  discoveivi! 
the  retrion  whence  so  mnch  uold  fomid  itswavtothe  canital. 
]\Iawe  says  that  the  rock  of  the  locality  is  gi-anite  com})os('u 
of  feldspar,  hornblende,  (piartz,  mica,  sometimes  holding  g;,i- 
nets, — evidently  gneiss,  like  tliat  of  the  Serra  do  Mar  to  ili' 
westward.  He  states  that  the  gold  comes  from  the  lowest 
bed  of  cascalho,  or  gravel,  occurring  always  in  roundeil 
grains,  and  that  he  never  saw  a  crystallized  specimen.  CIol  i 
and  ferric  oxide  were  the  only  metallic  substances  foiiin! 
here.  At  the  time  of  Mawo's  visit  (1808)  so  little  gold  \v!b 
extracted,  that  the  quinto,  or  royalty,  paid  to  the  govcni- 
ment  would  scarcely  snflfice  to  pay  the  olTlicers  and  soldier-' 
api)ointed  to  collect  it.  Von  Tschudi  sa\'s  *  that  the  go'nl 
of  Cantagallo  came  from  the  bed  of  a  stream. 

Another  locality  where  gold  was  formerly  waslied  is  Saiu  ' 

*  Reisen  diirrh  Sml-Amrrirn,  Drittcr  Band,  176"  Seite.      This  volume  c 
tains  a  lengtliy  ck'scription  of  Cuutiigallo  and  Nova  Friburyo. 


l^ 


■     <K 


IJitn.  a  placr 
la-all. ).  M 
iif  cascallu)." 
(•a>callio  vai' 
IiicIk's,  ami 
carlli. 

Tl.o  Cant.' 
>aiit;L  Rita  a 
•  if  linicstone 

Fiitiii  Silo 
\\i\]\  Mv.  ('()| 
die  \';dlrio  ( li 
'li\  ifiiiigliiie 

For  the  gr( 
til"  road  led 
Inivst.  Littli 
Niil.  but  1  0 
"Ib'ii  contain 
III'  lai'ge  size 

*  "Tnivcls  in 
Di-tricrxjt'tliat  C 
.I"liii  Miiwe."  I<1 
till'  Ann'rican  rop] 
I'liiii.  It  lias  as  a 
(.f  nciivnp*  at  worii 
^'nninL:-  Avjiidi  |ia; 
yciiui::  stuiU'nt  of 
H'-isDi  in  ilds  fun 
II';-. Ill  nipntions  r 

I'l'rsll  iH    1S(I9  (•/   1 

ti':iii~l;itiiin  ot'  the 
I>iii/il  ill  Sc|itfiiili. 
^■illlialilu  ;;x'olnM.i,;,| 
■'■  TIiL'  W(inl  raxi 
l'i':uil  ilir  aiirifcrd 


Tin:   I'UOVIN'CE   OF   KIO   DE   JANKIEO. 


51 


i 

3 


V\\\a.  a  jtlnco  nltout  five  Brazilian  Icaji'ucs  iiorthoast  of  Caii- 
t;iL:alln.  Mawc*  describes  the  jxold  as  oceurrinu"  in  a  lird 
fif  ciiscalho,!  or  u'ravel,  overlaiil  l»y  earth.  'I'he  hiyrr  of 
(■;i>c;illi()  vni'ics  in  thickness  from  two  I'cei  1o  seven  or  eiiiht 
iiiclics,  and  lies  nnder  a  thickness  of  lour  or  li\e  I'eet  of 
(■;irth. 

The  Cantai^allo  rep'ion  was  never  very  I'ich  in  uold.  At 
Siiiila  Rita  and  in  the  vicinity  ^hiwe  found  heavy  dejiosits 
111'  limeston(\ 

From  Sao  Fidelis  I  made  a  horseback  journey  in  company 
Midi  Mr.  Copeland  across  tin;  counliy  northward  hy  way  of 
tlic  \'allao  CJrandc,  to  IJonitJesuson  the  Italjapnana  Ri\cr.  lh(3 
ilivi(lin<2;line  between  the  jirovinces  of  Rioand  Esjiirito  Santo. 

For  the  ti'realer  ]»art  of  the  distance  to  the  Rio  Muriahc 
til"  road  led  throuu'h  the  most  dense  and  Inxni'iant  virgin 
Inivst.  Ijittle  Avas  to  be  seen  of  the  rock,  or  even  of  the 
soil,  liut  1  observed  that  the  drift  clay,  where  e.\jio>ed, 
efteii  contained  boulders  of  g-nciss  ;  and  masses  of  rock 
of  lariic  size  Avere   sometimes  seen  resting  npon   it.      On 

'  "  Travels  in  the  Interior  of  Brazil,  particularly  in  the  Gold  and  Diaimiii'l 
Di-tri(r>  nt'  that  Country.  By  Authority  of  the  Prince  Retrent  of  J'ortugal.  By 
J"hii  Mawo."  I  <lo  not  know  tlic  date  of  the  Enyli-ii  edition.  1  ha\e  a  enjiv  of 
tlir  Auieriran  reprint,  wliieh  ajqieared  in  ISIO,  and  was  jiiilili-hed  in  I'liiladd- 
]'liia.  It  has  as  a  frontisjiiece  a  hiriic  steel  en,t;ravinu%  rciiresentiiiL:  a  nuin'icr 
*'(  nenvoos  at  work  nnder  a  Ions  tliatelu'd  s]ied  wasliin.ij:  for  diamonds,  —  an  en- 
grnvinL'  which  has  hccn  co])ied  o:i'r  and  over  ajrain,  and  is  familiar  to  cviry 
yduiiL;-  stiuh'tit  of  {xeoffrajihy.  A  German  eiiition  in  my  jiossession,  entitled 
/c/-w)  /)(  r/<(s  TniiPir  von  DnislJim,  was  pnlilishecl  in  ISIG  at  Lcijiziir,  while 
Ihi"'iin  mentions  a  French  work  hcarin^■  tlie  title  J'ni/niii's  tlans  P fnh'riiiir  du 
Ivi'm'I  ni  lso;i  (I  I8n),  puhlislicd  in  tiie  same  year,  ami  which  I  suppose  to  he  a 
trnii-latiiin  of  the  ahovc  "  Travels,"  thou^rh  Mawe  hefran  his  exploration- in 
Iha/il  in  Septemlicr,  l.'^dT.  This  is  a  work  of  much  intt'rcst,  and  contains  many 
Viiliiahle  ueolo^ieiil  facts. 

■'■  The  Word  fiisrallio,  jironottneed  ntsrnli/n,  means  jrravel  in  I'ortuancsc.  In 
l>|-azil  the  aurit'erous  ea-^calho  is  almost  invariahly  composed  of  cpiartz  pehhles. 


<';p:ology  and  riiVisicAL  gkograi'iiv. 


llie  Vallilo  r.randc,  nl)()nt  a  leagno  wvsf  f>f  tlic  river  ^NfurialK'. 
1  saw  \\(.'ll-lanuiialcMl  o-neiss  with  a  strike  of  X.  C,\  K, 
and  a  norlliward  dip.  Tlie  Aallcy  of  llie  ]\fiiiiali('  I 
Coiiiid  well  eulti\at('(l  wliere  J  crossed  it,  and  fiinnsliinu 
laru'C  erojis  of  snuar-eauc.  Leaving:'  the  river,  onr  course  hiv 
o\('i'  a  serra,  wlTudi  (jiir  guide  called  ^hduca.  Jt  is  coiu- 
j)Osed  of  gneiss,  and  nnist  he  over  2,000  fi-et  Ingli.  On  o\w 
descent  on  the  northern  side,  I  obseived  tliick  liedsof  a  kiml 
of  gneiss  composed  ahnost  entirely  of  (juartz,  and  in  tin' 
drift  I  saw  Ixiulders  of  tliis  rock  mixed  np  with  boulders  of 
common  gray  gneiss.*  From  tins  serra  to  Uom  Jesus  the 
country  is  all  gneiss,  with  low  rounded  hills,  the  whole 
being  covered  with  a  most  vigorous  forest  growth.  The  l?in 
Itabajniana  is  a  little  stream  comi)araIile  to  the  l^io  Tii-ahy  on 
the  Dom  Pedro  II.  Kailroad.  JJetween  Bom  Jesus  an«l  the 
Ril)eirao  do  Jardini  the  land  is  rather  low,  and  diversified 
by  ronndcd  gneiss  hills  of  Inconsiderable  ele\'ation.  Tlie 
river  is  bordered  by  Hat,  alluvial  lands,  often  marshy,  the 
resort  of  great  nnmbers  of  water-l)ird?,  jjiacocas  (^Parra 
JdCdna'),  cranes,  c^'C. 

On  the  Espirito  Santo  side,  between  the  Ribciriio  do  Jai- 
dim  and  the  Rilieirrio  Formoso,  begins  the  Seri'a  de  .^ao 
Roniao  e  Santa  Paz,  or  the  Serra  do  Itabajjuana,  Avhich  rises 
abrnptly  from  the  river  and,  more  or  less  l)rokcn,  runs  oil 
in  a  northeast  direction  to  the  Rio  Ita})emerim.  The  hilU 
on  the  Rio  Itabajmana  arc  more  than  a  thousand  feet  higli, 
and  arc  composed  of  gneiss  which  dips  southward  at  a 
moderate  angle  and  with  its  usual  sti'ikc.  They  are  very 
prcci})itous  on  the  southern  side,  the  rocks  being  covercil 
by  an  abundant  growth  of  cactuses,  ttc.  On  the  same  side 
of  the  river,  in  the  angle  between  the  Riljeiriio  Formoso  ami 

*  I  was  told  that  there  was  limestone  in  tliij  sena,  but  I  i?aw  none. 


fho  Itahapu 

Pcilra  Forn 

theatre  lorn 

r;iz,  forms  a 

tu  the  fazei 

hills  ai'C  low 

lir;i\  ily  Ibi'c^ 

hch-w  tlie  fa 

''Xii'iul  for  n 

\\a!cr-po\ver 

e\i-clh'iif  ca 

which  I  exa 

Mi'ilino   was 

■j:w\>s  of  this 

•  '■'<\y  hoi'izont 

.Martiidio  it 

At  Sao  Pedn 

ii  h,is  a  very 

-■'•iicrally  nor 

veins.     Alton 

i>"lateil  peak 

I'ei'nis  a  \-ery 

''''le  distance 

^i'les.  and  as 

''  plT'SOUts  vc 
l''"ni  U'hich  it 
■■iliiieai's  domC' 
I'ilhii'  I'ising  ( 
'  ■^tiniates  its  ; 

^'■tweru  2.501 

It  lias  aluKist 
'  ''U'ratau  uuionL;-  tl 


i 


THE   PROVINCE   OF   HIO   DE   JANEIRO. 


i-i.i 


'j> 


flu'  Ital)npuana,  is  a  solitary  in-egular  conical  jicak  called  the 
I'cdi'a  Formosa,  which,  standiiiti'  alone  in  IVoiit  (jniie  aiiiiihi- 
llicatre  foriucd  l»y  the  Serra  of  Sao  Roinao,  and  that  of  Santa 
Paz,  forms  a  line  j)iece  of  monntain  sceneiy.  Thence  onward 
to  the  fazcnda  of  Sao  IVdro  the  conntrv  is  still  li'neiss.  the 
hills  are  low,  covered  hy  a  most  fertile  red  drift  soil,  and  arc 
jicin  ilv  forest-clothed.  The  river  is  rockv  and  swift,  and  inst 
l.clcw  the  fazenda  thei-e  arc  some  eonsiderahlc  rai>ids  which 
(xtond  for  nearly  a  mile,  and  wonhl  fnrnish  an  almndaiit 
\\at(,'r-|iowei'.  The  soils  of  this  vicinity  are  very  uood,  and 
exci'llcnt  cane,  coffee,  and  cotton  are  raised.  The  cotton 
whirli  I  examined  on  the  fazenda  of  Senhor  Martinho  Fr. 
Miiliiio  was  the  linest  I  ever  saw  on  the  coast.  Tli(> 
uiu'iss  of  this  vicinity,  and  of  Porto  da  Limeira,  lies  remark- 
;iMv  horizontallv.  At  the  ranids  at  the  fazenda  of  Senhor 
)hu'iiuh()  it  has  a  northward  dip  of  some  ten  degrees  only. 
At  Sao  Pedro  ami  Porto  da  Limeira  it  is  well  laminated,  l)nt 
ii  has  a  very  irregnlar  dij)  and  strike,  though  the  dij)  is 
u'Micrally  n(M'th\vard.  The  rock  is  full  of  granite  and  (jnaitz 
wins.  About  three  miles  south  of  Limeira  is  a  remarkable 
isolated  peak  called  the  Garrafao,*  or  the ''  drnnjohn,'"  which 
fniins  a  very  cons})icuous  landmark,  visible  from  a  consider- 
a'lle  distance  off  the  coast  at  sea.  It  is  })rccipitous  on  all 
sides,  and  as  it  is  long  from  cast  to  west,  and  very  narrow, 
it  jircseiits  very  different  aspects  according  to  the  position 
lidiii  which  it  is  seen.  From  some  points  of  the  compass  it 
apjiears  (hjnie-shaped,  from  othei's  like  an  innuense  tower  or 
pillar  rising  out  of  the  generally  i»lain  country.  Mouchez 
estimates  its  height  at  OlO  metr^-s  ;  1  should  set  it  down  as 
k'twceu  2,500  and  3,000  feet. 

*  Ir  lias  alni(i>t  im'cisely  tlu'  same  structure  and  noan_.  die  same  furm  as  tlie 
Gurrat'Ao  anioii;4  tli^  "  Ortrans." 


.-4 


GKOLOCV   AN'I)    I'lIVSlCAL   GKOGIJ  M'lIV. 


Brtwcc'ii  the  Ilio  ltiil)aj»n{in!i  juid  the  l'iinili\  lia,  oiulit  or 
ten  miles  south  of  the  (iiirralao,  and  in  a  Hue  with  the  Sernidu 
()iit,a,  is  a  reniaiivahle  gruiip  oC  g'lieiss  hills,  which  is  visihlc 
IVoiu  Cape  Sao  Thome,  a  distance  ol'  at  least  I'orty  miles. 
One  of  thes(!  is  a  very  sluirj),  eonieal  needle,  ealled  Pedru 
Lisa.*     This  needle  is  seen  in  the  fuUuwiny;  sketch. 


l%^i^ 


,^     ->^| 


■iif 


5?s  "• 


THE    I'EUUA    LIsA. 


Descending  the  river  from  Porto  da  Limcira,  one  soon 
leaves  the  ji'nciss  region,  and  comes  upon  a  flat  country,  for 
tlie  most  ])art  very  heavily  wooded,  and  more  or  less  divev- 
sifietl  hy  shallow  lagoons,  one  of  which,  Lagoa  Feia,  is  quite 
extensive.  The  river  is  very  narrow  and  tortuous,  and  only 
navigahle  for  very  small  steamers.  Much  of  the  land  is  very 
low,  aiMJ  nmst  be  frequently  overHowed  ;  l)ut  there  are  sonic 
considerable  ])atches  of  tei-tiary,  which  are  however  much 
denuded.  At  the  fazendas  of  Senhores  Pedro  Mendes  and 
xVntonio  ^liirtim  these  lands  rise  to  a  height  of  perhaps  sixty 
feet,  and  on  the  river  they  are  seen  to  be  composed  of  tlio 
characteristic  tertiary  sandstones  and  clays.  The  littlu 
village  of  the  Barra  do  Itabapuana,  principally  inhabited  liy 

*  I  havf  seen  this  rcm.irkable  peak  from  all  siik'S.  It  always  appears  as  a 
nee'lle  or  sliarj)  eone.  Moiicliez  makes  it  l.l'iC,  metres  in  height,  aiul  I  do  iiui 
tliiuk  he  has  over-estimated  it. 


ri>]iormen,  is 
the  i'i\-cr,  nc;i 
I'V  ;i  niii'row, 
Aiinl  from  lh 
ilic  licacli  I'id 
ii'iii't  covcrcil 
siiiidstones  a 
Imid  rises  ap| 
ward  a  larj^c 
a  large  sandy 
a  lau'oon  ^\\\ 
.suiiic  disianc< 

A  k'a,u'uc  Ol 
arc  t\V(y  or  lh 
ill-  Inw  red  c 
uuiiilios.  Is(. 
oi'ciir  oif  the 
'iiiinhos. 

Tlie  mouth 
structed  by  a 
water  is  shall 
outside  the  ba 

*  Till'  iiuul  of 
liiiot  kind  of  >iir. 
uf  ^lu■lls,  leaves,  tl 

t  //((,  ill  Tiipy, 
the  lumii'  It,il)a])ii 
tioiicd  below,  ('a; 
and  sivs  that  the  i 


THE   rUOVIN'Ci:   OF   UIO   1>L  JANLinO. 


55 


tislicrmoii,  is  lniilt  on  a  strip  of  sand  on  tlio  ri;j,lit  liaiik  of 
till'  liver,  near  the  mouth.  It  is  st'jiaratcil  I'nuii  the  shore 
liv  a  narrow,  shallow  channel,  or  lau'oon,  which  runs  south- 
wiird  I'roiii  the  river,  parallel  with  the  shore,  and  Just  liehiiid 
tlic  heach  ridu'e.  This  higoon  connnunicates  with  a  marshy 
tract  coNcreil  hv  nianu'roves,*  south  oi'  whi(di  I'ed  tertiary 
sandstones  are  exposed  on  the  edg"  of  the  marsh,  and  the 
land  rises  ajiparontly  sonic  twenty  feet,  lorminj^  to  the  south 
ward  a  lari^e  }iateh  of  tertiary.  ()])posite  the  town  tlieic  is 
a  lart:e  sandv  island,  which  is  separated  from  the  lieaeh  Itv 
a  laii'oon  -whieh  stretches  northward  along  the  shore  for 
sonic  disiance. 

A  league  or  more  to  tlie  south  of  the  Darra  do  Ttahapuana  f 
arc  t\V(*  or  three  rocky  jioints  of  tertiary  sandstone,  prcsent- 
inu  low  red  cliffs.  The  same  rock  is  said  to  occur  at  Man- 
giiinhos.  Isolated  masses  of  this  rock,  covered  at  high  tide, 
occur  off  the  Barra  of  the  ltalja})uana,  and  also  at  ^hui- 
i2iiinhos. 

The  mouth  of  the  Itahajniana  is,  like  the  Parahyha,  ol)- 
stnicted  I»v  a  sand-har,  and  is  entered  with  dithcultv.  The 
water  is  shallow  off  the  coast,  and  vessels  sometimes  anchor 
uutsidc  the  bar  and  take  in  cargoes  of  wood,  &c. 


*  Tlic  mud  of  tlic  manfxrovc  swanijis  is  very  soft,  licinir  ronijioscil  of  the 
liiKvt  kiiul  of  ^ilt,  and  it  is  iiiauk  and  stinkin;,^  with  dcrayiny  matter.  It  is  ndl 
of  ^iniis,  leaves,  tlie  oxuviiu  of  oralis,  &c. 

t  1/(1,  in  Tupy,  means  stone,  and  /"huh  or  j main  an  island  ;  and  I  snsjiect  that 
tlie  name  ltaha])naiui  may  have  heen  ;jivcn  from  the  little  roeky  islands  men- 
ticiiied  lieluw.  C'azal  f.dves  the  name  of  the  river  as  CanKiiman  or  Cahapuanna, 
and  says  that  the  suva^'-es  -ailed  it  Keritiyljii.     {Cuwijrujki,  Vol.  I,  j).  01.) 


50 


UEULOGY    A.ND   I'lIVSlCAL   GEUGUAl'lIV. 


CHAI'TKR    IT. 

PROVINCE    OF    KSl'IRITO    SANTO. 

Biirrcirns  do  Sin.  —  Itiiiii'inerim.  —  Coast  Ix'twccn  Itapomerim  iind  Rcncvcntc, 

—  I5i'iiL'\(iin.'.  — Giiarajiary  ;  Coiisolidatiil  IJoaili,  Corals,  i.^t'. —  IJioJcni.— 
I5ay  of  K>|iint()  Santo.  —  N  a  Scniiora  da  IViilia.  —  Victoria. —  Dci'nin. 
]iosition  of  Gneiss  and  Form. .ion  of  Houidirs  of  Deconi]iosition.  —  Hcccit 
IJisc  of  tlic  Coast.  —  Corals,  v<;c.  of  tlio  Hay  of  Viitoria.  —  llio  Santa  Ma- 
ria.—  (icrnian  Colonics. —  Fislici-ics.  —  Sand  Plains.  —  Tertiary  I'lain  at 
Carapina.  —  Mestrc  Alvaro.  —  Scrra.  —  Nova  Almeida.  —  Kio  Reis  Mauo.-.  — 
Santa  Cruz. —  IJasin  of  the  l?io  Docu.  —  Description  of  the  ]{ivcr.  —  (iaaii- 
dr  :  its  Colony  and  Aurieultural  Kesonret'S.  —  I'orto  de  Son/a.  —  Ge()]iii.'y 
of  Vicinity.  —  Luxnriancc  of  Vc;;etation  on  tlic  Doee.  —  "Woods.  —  Gi'.iiic 

—  Francyhania.  —  Climate  of   the   Doce. —  I.inhares.  —  Lap'ia   .Fnpariiii;ui, 

—  The  Futiiri'  of  the  Doce.  —  American  Colonists.  —  Salt  Trade.  —  Ij;irra 
Sccca.  —  Sca-Tnrtles.  —  Cons(didated  Beaches  and  the  Mode  of  their  l-'oniiM- 
tion.  —  ( 'harai'terol' Coast  hetwi'cn  the  KiversJ)occ  ami  Sao  Matheos.  —  Rin 
Sfio  Matheos  Doerihcd.  —  (ieoloiiical  Features.  —  Fertility  of  it>  LaniN. — 
Cncoa-Palins  and  their  Distrihntion.  —  City  of  Sao  Matheos. —  I!io  Itiilui- 
nas.  —  ('litis  of"  ( >s  Lcncncs.  —  Coast  hctwcen  Itahunas  aiul  Uio  .Mucnry. 

A  SHORT  distance  nortlnvnrd  of  the  Kio  Ita1»a))uana,  and 
not  Car  I'roiii  the  sea-shore,  is  Lake  Mai"ol)a,,  (Voin  wliieh  thnY< 
the  rivei'  of  the  same  name.  JJetween  the  ltal)apuana  and 
ti.is  i'i\'(M-  the  coast  kinds  arc  low  and  marshy.  Just  south  of 
the  Ibarra  do  ^hirol)a  the  Lands  rise  sonuMvhat  ah)n<>'  the  slioio. 
and  tertiary  rc(l  sand.stonc  shows  itself  in  the  Iteach.  Tlic 
tertiary  hlulTs  of  the  ltal)a|)uana  swccj)  round  hack  of  tlic 
hike,  and  come  (hnvn  to  the  shore  north  of  the  jjari'a,  and 
arc  continue(l  thence  northward  in  a  Ihie  range  of  hliilTs 
called  the  Barreiras  do  Siri,  which,  from  tlie  hright  ivd 
colors  of  tlic  clays  and  sandstones  comjmsinu'  thcui,  jircsciit 
a  very  picturesque  ai)pcarancc  from  the  sea.    These  clitfs  are 


sovoiity  tol 

(iftiirin  isl 

The  low 

It'll  sandsJ 
hiisi'd  on  t 
iiii'i'e  like 


el>o.     Tin. 


iliciilar,  ]ii|| 
witli  one  a 
twelve    feell 
iiliniit  iweii 
which   jieiK 
sandstone  ! 
iiiti'  of  the  > 
nini  show  II 
viiries  very 
in  texture, 
color  varies 
times  the  ( 
yelli)w,  so  a 
is  ill!  irreti'r 
well  stratifi 
over  this  ii 
well  e.xamii 
ally  liu'ht  1) 
iiodnles.     i 

*  Prinz  Max 
thcH'  clitfs,  and 

"  Der  Unter 
,i:eli("irr    dieses 
dii'M'r  Kiisto  V 
aiuh  die  .-aeli>i 
deni  Steinniar 


PROVINCi:   OF   L.SI'IIUTO   SANTO. 


57 


sovonty  to  ciulity  feet  In  lieiulit,  and  the  c<juntry  lyin.ir  hack 

(if  tlirin  is  a  wooded  iilahi. 
'i'lie  lowest  l>ed  seen   in  jlie  elilTs  of  Siif  is  a  coarse,  dark- 
il  sandstone,  with  indistinct  sti-atilieation,  and,  where  ex- 


II 


|in>c(l  on  the  lieach,  I'nll  of  holes,  presenting'  an  apjiearanee 
iiKMc  iiki'  that  of  th(,'  snrfat'e  of  a  hiva  stream  than  anythin.u; 
else.  This  mass  of  sandstone  is  peneti^ated  h\  (li'('|t,  jici'iien- 
(Hciilur,  ])ii»e-liko  holes,  whieh,  in  many  cases,  eoimnniucatc 
witli  one  another.  This  sandstone  rises  to  a  heiuht  of  ahout 
twelve  feet  above  low-water  nnirk,  and  is  overlaid  hy  a  lied, 
alMdit  twenty  feet  thick,  of  a  sandy  clay,  whitish  and  reddish,* 
wliicli  penetrates  into  the  cavities  of  tlu;  sandstone.  The 
sandstone  seems  to  resnlt  in  ])art  from  the  irreunlar  eenicnt- 


tl 


le  sandv  clays  hv  oxide  of  ii'on.     The  clavs  are  soft 


iiii:'  ol 

aiul  show  no  distinct  stratification.  The  proimrtion  of  sand 
varies  very  mneh,  some  of  the  clays  being  exceedingly  line 
ill  texture,  like  kaolin.  They  are  not  at  all  plastic.  The 
color  varies  from  a  pnre  white  to  a  briuht  red,  and  some- 
times the  clay  is  variegated  Avith  cnrved  lines  of  reel  or 
yellow,  so  as  to  look  like  fancy  Castil(>  soap.  Over  tlic  clay 
is  an  irregular  de])0sit  of  very  dark-red  sandstone,  which  is 
well  stratified,  and  sometimes  forms  lenticular  masses  ;  and 
over  this  in  turn  lies  a  bed  of  red  clay,  wdiieh  I  conld  not 
well  examine.  Ijetween  the  clay  and  the  soil,  which  is  usu- 
ally light;  l)i'own,  there  is  a  layer  of  j)cbl)lcs  and  iron-stone 
nodules.     A  few  ndles  1>elow  Itai)enierim  the  tertiary  lands 

*  I'l-inz  Max.  zn  Ncu  Wiod,  Rcisc  mrrh  Drasilien,  Vol.  I.  ]>.  H')9,  sjicaks  of 
tlu'H' cliU's,  and  ^.nves  tliu  foUowiiij;  iioto,  wliicli  1  leave  in  his  own  words  :  — 

"  Dir  X'ntcT>iu'liiinL;'  iK's  Ilurrn  Professor  IIau>ni;nin  /ii  (iiatinufn  /idolize 
LTlidi't  diest's  Fossil,  wclclu's  ciiicn  Ilaiijitliestandtlioil  eincs  f:rossi'ii  Tlieils 
ilicsir  Kiiste  von  I>ra>ilien  ansniacht,  znni  vorliiirtctcn  Sti'iiiiiiark,  wohin  man 
iinih  die  suh>iselie  Wunder-Erde  ziildt.  Es  stinmu  in  alien  Kennzeiehen  niit 
deui  Steinniarkc  iiberein." 
3* 


58 


GKOLOGY   AND   I'lIYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


recede  from  the  beacli,  and  arc  broadly  dcmidcd  on  both 
sides  of  the  river.  The  Itapenierini  is  a  nnich  kirger  stream 
than  the  ltabaj)uana.  It  rises  near  the  frontier  of  Minas 
Geraes,  west  of  \'ietoria,  behind  tlie  Serra  do  Ponil)al,  and 
has  a  course  (jf  about  eighty  miles.  It  is  shallow  in  its  lower 
course,  and  of  little  imi)ortancG.  There  is  an  extensivi^ 
alluvial  ])lain  bordering  the  ri\er  on  the  south  side  for  a  iew 
miles  above  the  town,  in  part  belonging  to  the  fazenda  of 
the  Barao  de  Itaijemerini ;  this  tract  of  land  is  very  fer- 
tile, and  a  considerable  part  is  cultivated  for  sugar.  There 
are  a  few  fazendas  farther  up  the  river,  "''hat  of  Mu(pu'. 
belonging  to  the  Baron,  is  built  on  a  gneiss  hill. 

The  serras  approach  neai'cr  the  coast  in  going  northward, 
and  in  the  n(  Ighborlu^od  of  Itai)emerini  are  very  high,  ]tre- 
senting  the  same  topographical  jteculiarities  as  in  the  south. 


si:i:i:a  oi'  itai'Emkiii.m,  si:i:n  i'iiom  'iiik  ska. 

Abont  twenty  miles  Avest  of  the  town  of  lta])emerim,  and 
south  of  th(>  river,  is  a  very  remarkaljle  irregular  j)eak  called 
the  Frade,  while  a  few  miles  to  the  noi'theast  is  a  group  of 
needles,  which  presents  an  exceedingly  strange  appearance 
when  seen  from  certain  points  of  the  compass,  appeariiiu' 
sometimes  like  the  fingers  of  a  giant  hand  ludd  \\\)  against 
the  sky.  Some  of  these  needles  are  at  least  3,000  feet  high. 
The  whole  country  lying  behind  them,  even  beyond  the  lim- 
its of  the  province,  is  very  mountainous,  and  is  composed 
of  gneiss.  1  was  informed  that  specular  iron  occurs  in  the 
serras  of  Itaiiemcrim,  but  1  had  no  wav  of  verilVinsi'  tlie 
report. 


In  1723 
tiold  in  one 
Castcllo.* 
year,  1724, 
lie  divided  i 
to  enipli>y  t 
dition  that 
tlie  srsiiiari 
washing  tov 
tello  with   t 
proved  decc 
the  place  w( 
North  of 

ive  plains  ( 
Piuiueti'i  am 
Thi-se  plain; 
f^par.sely  l)y 
Pitaugueira 
(jactuses  (C 
WAV  to  the  ' 
north  of  Ita 
Among  thesi 
marks  of  th( 
iiiu'  nvramidi 
occasionally 
islands  off  tl 
little  or  no  i 


rROVINCE   OF   KSPIRITO   SANTO. 


59 


^ 

H 


In  17::23  the  first  settlers  on  the  ltai)emerim  discovered 
^^old  ill  one  of  its  alTlueiits  on  the  north,  called  the  Rio  do 
Castclk).*  "  A  decree  of  the  17th  Hcitteniher  of  the  foUowing 
vcar,  1724,  detcrmhied  that  the  auriferous  lands  should 
In'  divided  into  small  portions  among  all  those  who  wished 
tu  I'lnploy  themselves  in  the  labor  of  mining,  with  the  con- 
dition that  they  should  suhjcet  themselves  to  the  laws  of 
the  srsiiuirids  and  to  the  impost  on  tlie  gold."  f  A  gold- 
Nvasliiiig  town  was  established  at  the  coniluence  of  the  Cas- 
tcllo  with  the  Itapemerim,  ])ut  the  hopes  of  a  rich  yield 
jii'Mvod  deceptive, ij:  and  with  the  incursion  of  the  Indians 
the  place  went  down. 

Xoi'tli  of  the  Itapemerim  the  coast  is  l)ordered  by  exten- 
i\c  |ilains  of  coarse  white  sand,  like  those  of  the  Island  of 
]'ai|iiet;i  and  of  the  extension  of  the  Caiitogallo  Ivailroad. 
Tiii'se  jdains  are  quite  destitute  of  grass,  and  arc  covered 
sparsely  by  clunii)S  of  stunted  trees,  among  wdiicli  is  the 
Pitangueira  (^Eii^cnia  pcdunculata},  with  an  al)undanco  of 
cactuses  (Cr reus),  and  broineliaceoiis  jdants.  About  half 
wav  to  the  little  town  of  riuina,  distant  some  eiulit  miles 
north  of  Itapemerim,  gneiss  hills  stretch  along  the  coast. 
Among  these  is  the  Mo.to  do  Agah,  one  of  the  noted  land- 
marks of  the  coast,  —  a  sharp,  saddle-shaped  ridge,  appear- 
ing pyramidal  when  seen  from  the  north.  Gneiss  shows  itself 
occasionally  on  the  lieaches,  and  there  are  a  few  little  gneiss 
islands  off  the  coast. §  The  Piuma  is  a  very  small  river  of 
little  or  no  importance. 

*  Dice.  Gcna-.,  Art.  Castelh. 

t  The  Cororjriifm  Brnsilicii,  j)ul)li?lic(l  in  1817,  speaks  of  these  mines  as 
h;ivin,ir  been  uhandoned  on  aecuunt  of  tlio  incnrsions  of  the  Indians. 

I  Vuii  Tsehudi,  Heiseii  (lurch  Slid  Aimrica,  Dritter  Bund,  60"«  Scite. 

^  I  observed  on  the  shore,  jnst  south  of  the  point  of  tiie  Auaii,  a  rock 
txpo.-ed,  wliicii  appeared  to  be  a  sandstone.  It  was  luueh  deeoniposed,  and 
I  n;u->  unable  to  examine  it  verv  carefullv. 


GO 


GEOLOGY   AXD   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


From  Piuma  to  Bcncveiitc,  which  is  a  ride  of  only  ahout 
two  lioiirs,  and  cannot  he  more  than  IVom  four  to  six  mile.s, 
the  road  leads  (ncr  low  gneiss  hills,  l)ecause  the  shore  is 
rocky  and  the  heacli  has  to  he  al)andoned.  The  Kio  Iri- 
ritiha,  or  I>enevente,  is  a  small  stream,  navigable  lor 
some  eight  leagues  ahove  its  mouth,  which  is  narrow,  sit- 
uated between  gneiss  hills,  and  imobstructcd  l)y  a  Itar, — a 
circumstance  owing  to  the  ja-otection  of  this  jjart  of  the 
coast  by  a  rocky  point  extending  southward  some  two 
miles  east  of  the  mouth.  The  water  at  the  entrance  is 
deep,  and  vessels  of  considerable  tonnage  may  enter  at 
any  time  of  the  tide.  Just  inside,  the  river  spreads  out 
into  a  broad  sheet  of  water,  so  that  it  forms  one  of  the 
host  and  nuist  iVeipieuted  harbors  on  the  coast  of  Ks- 
pirito  Santo.  Vessels  frequently  lind  refuge  in  the  littli' 
bay  behind  the  point  east  of  Beneventc,  where  they  arc 
well  sheltered  from  northeast  storms.  The  town  is  a 
small  one,  and  situated  at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  on 
the  northern  side,  at  the  base  of  a  low  gneiss  hill.' 
Besides  shi^hbuilding,  its  trade  consists  in  wood  and  a  lit- 
tle coffee.  According  to  \'on  Tschudi,  the  lands  lying  back 
of  Beneventc  are  very  fertile,  and  the  ])lace  i)osscsses 
natural  advantages  which  might,  if  })roperly  used,  make 
it  of  much  importance.  Leaving  Beneventc,  and  goiui: 
northward,  the  patii  crosses  obli(piely  a  ])roiccting  ])oint,  aiul 
passes  over  and  among  low  hills  of  red  sandstone  and  clays, 
the  sandstone  cropping  out  frequently  at  the  base  v)f  the 
hills.  The  soil  covering  these  hills  is  gray,  and  appears  to 
lie  very  rich.  In  some  parts  it  is  of  a  deep  pinlvish-red  color. 
On  leaving  the  hills  a  plain  of  white  sand  is  reached,  liko 

*  Gneiss,  pray,  wi'll  laiiiiiiatod.     Strike  N.  55°  E.     Y>\\t  varving  from  wr- 
tical  to  88°  N.     R(jt'k  iiitcrscctud  hv  nuiiicruiis  i;raiiite  veins. 


rnOVINCE  OF  espirito  santo. 


CI 


that  i»f  Ttapemcrim.  This  occupies  a  sort  of  l)ay  in  the 
tmiarv  hinds,  which  soon  reacli  the  coast  a,irain  and  Ibrni 
a  Imit:  lino  of  red  chtfs,  extending  for  several  miles  along  the 
>li(uv.  almost  to  the  little  fishing  village  of  ^livihype.  This 
villaiif  is  situated  on  a  narrow  sand-hank  uniting  a  small 
mass  of  gneiss  to  the  shore,  oi'f  which  a  similar  mass  forms 
an  island.  Thence  northward  the  tertiary  lands  extend 
aldiiu'  the  shore,  with  narrow  }»atches  of  sands  in  front,  and 
wi!li  occasional  interruptions,  to  the  village  of  Guara- 
paiT,*  when  the  shore  liecomes  very  nmch  indented,  and 
tilt'  (listrioution  of  the  various  formations  are  too  comjili- 
(.•aicij  for  description  here.  ]\lany  of  the  low  hills  of 
the  vicinity  have  a  l»asis  of  gneiss,  lait  are  ca})pcd  with 
tertiary  clays.  The  gneiss  shows  itself  in  a  nunilicr  of 
I'ocky  i»oints  and  ledges,  and  at  the  mouth  of  the  I'ivcr 
there  ai'C  several  islands.  The  gneiss  is  gray,  lait  it  is 
very  micaceous,  the  mica  heing  in  moderately  large  Mack 
crystals.  I  find  in  my  note-book  an  observation  of  strike 
X.  SO'  E.,  dip  80"  S. 


"HM 


'■^^'^'^mH^nm. 


COAST  SOUTH   OF    GUAliArAIIY. 

Ill  a  little  cove  just  south  of  the  town  is  a  large  detached 
mass  of  sandstone,  lying  just  in  front  of  the  beach,  and  at 

*  Tlie  roiiiitrv  lying  between  the  coast  ami  tlie  Scrra  do  Pero  Cao,  distant 
i=omf  six  miles  from  Giiarapary,  is  comjiosed  of  low  hills,  some  of  wliicli  arc 
mifluiibtedly  tertiary,  interspersed  with  hi;^her  ones,  as  the  Orobo,  which  are 

friK'iss, 


G2 


GKOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


low  ti<lc  Avashcd  Ity  the  "waves.     It  consists  of  quartz  sand 
cemented  by  carlionate  oC  lime,  and  the  rock  is  exceedinuly 
liarcL     It  is  well  stratified,  and  tlie  layers  are  nearly  hoij. 
zontal.     The  rock  is  cut  up  hy  joints,  wliich  tlie  sea  lia- 
widened,  so  that  it  is  much  hrol<(Mi  up,  while  the  Avashinu 
out  of  the  calcareous  cement  hy  the  sea  has  left  the  surface 
veiy  rati<»(Ml.     This  mass  is  only  jiart  of  a  solidified  lieach 
which  has  Iteen  laid  hare  l)y  an  encroachment  of  the  son. 
At  low  water  it  furnishes  to  the  naturalist  a  very  rich  har- 
vest of  marine  animals,  for  in  the  holes  near  its  edue  grow 
masses  of  Sklcnisircca  steUdta  A'err.,  while  AnuillKistrmtf 
of  considerable  size  grow  attached  to  its  sides.     Facuis  mv\ 
Ag'nririas,  A-c,  occur  in  great  abundance,  and  the  rocks  aiv 
covered  witli  great  patches  of  the  common  l)rown  Palijlhor 
of  the  coast,  and  of  a  spreading,  green-disked  Zotinl/nis,  n>>\ 
determined.      Several    l)eautiful    species   of   sea-anemonos, 
dee[»ly  tinted,  arc  very  common,  Imt  the  species  have  not  y( 
been  made  out.     At  low  tide  there  may  be  ol)tained  fi'oi.i 
the  rocks  beautiful  specimens  of  II//))i<')i()icori>'ia  qucrcifolw. 
Eunivid  /lumi/is,  and  Plcxai( reiki  diclioloma.      k^ea-urcliiih 
{Ec/iiuometra  Michclini)  are  exceedingly  abundant  here,  aiii 
arc  used  for  food  l)y  the  natives.     They  live  ]iacked  securely 
away  in  deep  holes,  not  only  in  the  sandstone  of  tlie  reef,  Im: 
also   in  the  gneiss  of  the  adjacent  points.     Here  also  tli' 
beautiful  little  crimson  star-fish,  Er/iiiiastcr  cmssispina.  U 
very  abundant,  occurring  among  the  sea-weeds  and  in  little 
pools  betwixt  tide-marks  ;  and,  in  the  tide-pools,  Oj/hinri: 
ciitcrea,  together  with  a  number  of  other  sjiecies  of  the  same 
order,  occurs.     Ilolothurians,  some  of  them  a  foot  long,  are 
very   alnmdant,   packed   into   crevices,   in   tide-pools,  anil 
under   rocks ;    and   a    pretty  comatula,  Antcthm    Di(l)f'iin 
BJilsche,  or  Brazilicnsis  Liitk.,  may  be  seen  through  tin 


water   cov( 

ers.-^ 

This  loc 
ill  luollusk 
nidlliiscan 
liookcd  out 
will)  use  it 
u round  for 
toria.  ins 
i-li  and  in; 
iialcyonoid 
(biara])ary 
fui'iiished  b 
the  coast ; 
]]a('c  excee 
to  the  west 
balsams  an 
licalliiiness 
Tlio  river  it 
and  takes  i 
offer  naviu'a 
course  a  mi 

In  iroing 
over  a  gne 
rivtM-,  and  t 
covered  by 
reached,  w; 
ciallv  alonir 
Pn-o  Cao,  1 

*  Of  these  R; 
<'iilielnml  and 
Comparative  Z^ 


PROVINCE   OF   ESPIRITO   SAXTO. 


63 


water   covcrin;^   the   rocks   like   rosettes   of    1)rown    featli- 

Tills  locality  is  rich  in  crustaceans,  but  not  osjiecially  so 
ill  niollusks  ;  indeed,  the  whole  coast  has  a  rallicr  jxjor 
molluscan  fauna.  A  large  o('toi)od  is  common  luM•(^  and  is 
hooked  out  from  the  crevices  in  the  rocks  l)y  the  inhahitants, 
Avlio  use  it  for  food.  (Juarapary  is  an  excellent  collectinjr 
ground  for  marine  invertebrates,  though  not  so  good  as  A'ic- 
toria.  Inside  the  mouth  of  the  bay,  in  water  whicli  is  brack- 
ish and  impure,  occurs  a  slender-l)i-anching,  tender,  nodose 
Ilalcyonoid,  undetermined.  The  entrance  to  the  harbor  of 
(luin-apary  is  good  and  secure,  and  shelter  for  sliipping  is 
furnished  by  the  little  islands,  Escalvada  and  Raza,  lying  off 
tlic  coast;  but  the  marshy  lands  in  the  vicinity  nudce  the 
1  laco  exceediuiilv  unhealthv,  and  notwithstandiuti'  the  lands 
til  the  west  of  tlie  town  are  good,  and  woods  and  valuable 
balsams  and  fish  ai'e  in  abundance  in  the  vicluity,  the  un- 
liealthiness  of  the  climate  has  i)laced  a  l)an  \\\)(m  its  growth. 
The  river  is  a  little  one,  with  a  course  of  only  a  few  leagues, 
and  takes  its  rise  in  the  Herra  do  Pero  Cao.  It  is  said  to 
offer  navigation  as  far  as  the  coast  serra,  and  to  unite  in  its 
course  a  numlier  of  little  lakes, 

111  going  northward  from  Guarapary  the  path  leads,  first, 
over  a  gneiss  district  bordering  the  northern  siilo  of  the 
river,  and  then  descends  to  a  plain  of  white  sand,  sparsely 
covered  l»v  trees.  Crossing  this,  low  tertiarv  hills  arc 
reached,  with  more  or  less  gneiss,  1)are  in  jdaces,  csjje- 
cially  along  the  shore,  and  you  come  uj)on  the  little  brook 
Toro  Cao,  beyond  Avhicli  the  shores  arc  sandy  and  flat  as 

*  Of  tliosc  Radiates,  as  well  as  the  other  marine  invertebrates  of  the  reef,  Mr. 
rii|i(lan(l  and  I  made  a  eonsiderahle  colleetion,  wliich  is  in  tlie  Museum  of 
Cuniiiarative  Zoiilojry,  in  Cambridge,  but  has  nut  yet  been  worked  up. 


04 


C.F.OLOOY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


far  as  a  small  Yivi'V  called  l»yniy  ji'iiidc  Fiia,  l»tit  wliicli  docs 
not  scnii  to  lie  re[»rcscntcd  on  llic  cliai't  of  M(.)ucli('/,.  This 
little  stream  escajies  into  the  sea  just  south  ol'  a  jtrojecliu:;' 
point  (if  Liueiss.  Jk'tween  this  point  and  the  seri-a  the  coun- 
try is  low.  The  distance  of  the  mountains  from  the  sea  is 
only  aliout  five  miles.  A  ])oint  or  two  })assod,  and  one 
reaches  a  long  sand-heacli,  Avhich  extends  s  nic  eight  miles 
north  to  a  low  gneiss  ]ioint  called  Ponta  da  Frneta.  Aloiiii' 
this  Iieaeh  are,  in  some  i)laces,  sand-dunes  twenty  to  twi'uty- 
five  feet  in  height. 

From  the  Ponta  da  Friicta,  nortlnvard,  to  the  l\mta  de  Je^'ii   | 
—  a  distaiu'c  of  seven  ov  eight  miles  —  stretches  an  almost 
straight  sand-heat-h,  behind  Avhich  are   })lains,   sandy  and 
marshy,  —  a  jieifect  l.»atrachian  ])aradiso. 

The  J'onta  de  Jecu  is  a  gneiss  hill,  somewhat  similar  tn 
tliat  of  the  Frneta,  arid  formerly  an  island,  hut  now  joincil 
to  the  maiidand  hy  a  sand-1»cach.  There  are  other  smaller 
hills  in  the  vicinity.  According  to  a  sketch  in  my  own 
note-hook,  the  river  enters  the  sea  to  the  south  of  the  point. 
hut  ]\ronclicz's  chart  shows  it  entering  on  the  north  side. 
which  was  ]»rol)al)ly  the  case  at  the  time  his  chart  was 
made,  the  month  having  been  closed  on  the  south  by  a 
storm.  The  river  Jecu  rises  among  the  serras  to  the  west, 
and  is  an  iiisignificant  stre;  i,  ajjparently  smaller  than  the 
Muriahe.  It  is  with  difficulty  navigable  for  canoes  for  only 
a  short  distance.  Some  five  miles  above  its  month  a  canal. 
cut  long  ago  by  the  Jesuits,  runs  off  northward  and  connuu- 
nicates  with  the  port  of  Victoria,  distant  about  five  miles. 
This  was  done  to  facilitate  the  transjjort  of  the  i)roducts  of 
the  country  to  A'ictoria,  as  Avell  as  to  avoid  the  dangerous 
passage  by  sea  from  the  mouth  of  the  river  around  the  reefs 
and  rocky  })oint  on  the  south  of  the  bay  of  Espirito  Santo. 


PROVINCE   OF   ESI'IRITO   SANTO. 


Go 


The  cutting  of  this  canal  is  said  to  have  improved  the  health 
of  the  reg'ion  of  the  Jccu. 

(Ill  this  river,  some  thirty  miles  from  its  mouth,  and 
somewhat  farther  IVoin  the  city  of  Victoria,  was  estab- 
hshcil,  ill  the  year  1847,  a  German  colony,  Santa  Isabel, 
ainoiiL'  tiie  gneiss  hills  lying-  east  of  the  serra,  in  a  region 
hcahliy  and  fertile,  and  proper  for  the  culture  of  eoftee, 
cotlcii,  Ac.  ;  but  the  colony  has  not  lieen  prosperous, 
owiiiL:'  to  bad  management  and  the  want  of  roads.* 

Fidiu  tlie  mouth  of  tlie  Jecu  to  the  l)ay  of  Ks[»irito  Santo 
tlie  sand-beaches  continue,  liacked  by  the  sandy  and  marshy 
plains  of  the  Campos  de  Piratinanga.f 

The  Bay  of  Espirito  Santo  is  aliout  two  and  a  half  mih'S 
wiil(\  and  irregular  in  shai)C.  On  the  north  is  the  Ponta 
do  Tubarao,  with  a  rocky  sandstone  shore,  whence  sweeps 
ai'niiiid  westward  and  southward  a  long  sand-beach,  join- 
ing a  rocky  point,  near  which  enters  the  channel  of  the 
Kin  da  Serra.  Thence  sontlnvard,  for  a  mile  or  more, 
the  land  is  high  and  irregular,  and  the  shore  consists  of 
sca-bcaclies  between  projecting  gneiss  points.  We  tlien 
reach  tlic  entrance  of  a  narrow,  irregular  channel,  —  the 
estuary  or  bay  of  the  Rio  Santa  Maria,  —  that  extends 
westward  among  gneiss  hills.  On  the  south  side  of  the  bay 
is  an  irregular  conical  gneiss  hill,  some  700  feet  high, 
calL'd  Monte  Moreno,  forming  a  rocky  point.  West  of  this, 
and  separated  only  by  a  short  sand-beach  and  a  small  stream 
coining  from  the  swamps  to  the  southward,  is  another  coni- 
cal iiill,  some  four  hundred  feet  high,  crowned  by  the  j)ietu- 

*  Tstliudi  {Rflsrn,  etc.,  Drifter  Band,  8'°  Scite)  pivcs  as  the  mean  annual 
temperature  for  the  Ineality  +18  Reaumur  =  70. .'iO  Fahr. 

t  St.  Ililiiire,  in  speaking  of  the  sandy  phiins  between  .lecii  and  Victoria, 
says  tlint  tlic  ve^^etation  covering  tlicm  reseinhles  in  many  ])oints  that  of  the 
elevated  plateaux  of  Minas  Novas.     (Tome  II.  2'"  Partie,  p.  229.) 


>l 


GG 


GKOLOGY   AND  PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


rcsqiio  pile  of  the  convent  of  Nossa  Senliora  da  Penlia.   West 
of  this,  between  tlic  Morro  (Ic  Nossa  Senhora  da  Penha  ami 
high  gneiss  hills,  is  the  deep  cove  of  Villa  Velha,  with  tlic 
ancient  village  of  the  same  name  built  on  the  edge  of  ilio 
sand-])lain.     Westward  of  this  cove  the  shore  stretches  to 
the  Piio  do  Assucar,  along  the  southern  side  of  the  chaniiul 
of  the  Santa  Maria.     It  consists  of  a  number  of  high  roeky 
points,  united  by  mud-flats  and  sand-l)eache8.     The  o])j)u- 
site  shore  of  the  channel  is  of  the  same  general  character, 
North  of  Monte  Moreno  and  of  the  mouth  of  the  chaniK.l 
arc  two  more  high  gneiss  islands,  lying  one  north  of  the 
other.     There  arc,   besides,   many  smaller   ones,  togethor 
with  a  number  of  rocks  and  skerries,  and  the  channel  is 
obstructed  near  the  Pao  de  Assucar  by  islands  and  rocks, 
The  Pao  de  Assucar  is  a  precipitous,  irregularly  conical 
gneiss  hill,  400  to  500  feet  high,  falling  off  to  the  north. 
presenting  to  the  channel  a  smooth,  almost  vertical,  face, 
Hei'C,  by  the  projection  of  a  point  from  the  northern  side, 
the  chamiel  is  suddenly  narrowed  down  to  a  width  of  only 
al)out  GOO  feet.     Passing  the  Pao,  the  channel  widens  out 
into  a  most  spacious  harbor,  and  on  the  northern  side,  in  a 
fine  amphitheatre  among  the  hills,  is  built  the  city  of  Vic- 
toria.   This  basin  extends  only  about  a  couple  of  miles  wc>f 
of  the  Pao.     At  its  head  it  receives  the  waters  of  the  canal 
from  the  Jecu,  and  of  the  Rios  Crubixa  and  Santa  ^laria.    A 
channel  extends  northward,  and,  uniting  the  mouths  of  sev- 
eral rivers,  passes  round  the  hills  of  Victoria  and  enters  the 
Bay  of  Espirito  Santo,  thus  rendering  tliera  an  island.    This 
island  is  composed  of  gneiss,  is  very  high,  rugged,  au'l 
clothed  with  forest.     To   the   north   and  west  the  coun- 
try is  a  pi      ,  while  the  shore  alone,  along  the  south  si'le 
of  the  bay  and  channel,  is  hilly.     The  hills  of  the  islaiiJ 


I        r- , 


, 


Ml! 


lit 


i: 


if 


i  i  I 


Fill 


'  I'f'  'ill 

-     '  I  i 


11;" ' 'i'vi'iii 


Iflil 


:!'i"ifl;l''*':V;'i\Lv! 


*'l M^<4 

,'ll:4'iilililii.)';ii.ilii 


I 


lilt 


iilH 


«S;^i^i';i '\M. 'IM  ii;  ii,(,! 


Ill 


*.^^i|i;i);;i3»||ii 


111  I  vi^rtw*' ■"'■■"" 


,^  #1  »'■''! '"'M\,;',i;|ii|f'ii;w'    ■:'j|i|]li;';;ii 


II 'fi 'I'?' 'life 


ilJIII 


''Mm 


^^§i^^!:-  %.mM-^mM 


^Wmi 


M 


II^V  ''■C'liii;  li,  "    i; 


iiiii,.  'til 


'!|i|l.. 


'ifj'" 


I    !-"i 


»;"i!/ 


iliia 


iV       1!  i|  ! 


,r-.fi|il 


ami  adjoiniii 
which  tlie  nia 
feet  ill  lu'iu'lit 
^\Iiicli,  owin^' 
The  •iiieii^.s  ol 
and  of  the  ! 
southward, 
and  rogulai'l}! 
.si\()tch,  but  sc 
or  nioro  sides 
with  the  Puo 


MONTE 


ahva'-s  round( 
jago'cd  and  a 
cHlTs  on  the  Si 
Tliis  is  owing 
unbroken  l)y  j 
those  mountai 
mass  of  gneis! 
h'cijuontly  for: 
framework  of 


rnOVLNCK   OK   KSriRITO   SANTO.  0 1 

ami  tidjoiniiifj;  nuiinland  tlu'ii  funn  an  isolated  ^rouji,  of 
wliiciithe  main  mass  jnst  behind  the  city  mnst  lie  I'ldly  1,000 
toot  in  lu'iglit.  The  channel  of  the  harbor  is  a  narrow  valley, 
^^lli(•ll,  owinir  to  its  rocky  sides,  has  been  easily  kei)t  oi)en. 
The  {zneii^s  of  the  locality  is  very  homogeneons,  jjorphyritic, 
ami  of  the  same  general  character  as  that  of  the  coast 
.suiitliward.  As  a  general  thing  the  hills  are  dome-sha])ed 
ami  regnlarly  ronnded,  as  is  represented  in  the  following 
sketch,  bnt  sometimes  they  arc  conical.  In  some  cases  one 
or  nioi'o  sides,  or  the  top,  is  bare  and  smooth,  as  is  the  case 
with  Wm  I'ao  de  Assncar.     These  bare  surfaces  are  almost 


MONTE   JtTTt'QrARA   AND   GNEISS   HILLS   NEAR   VICTORIA. 

ahva's  ronnded  with  remarkable  regidarity,  and  are  never 
jngiiod  and  angular,  like  our  northern  precipices,  or  the 
cliffs  on  the  8ao  Francisco,  below  the  falls  of  Paulo  Affonso. 
This  is  owing  to  the  uniform  decomposition  of  a  surface 
unbroken  by  joints  or  planes  of  stratification ;  for  many  of 
these  mountains  arc  actually  formed  of  a  single,  unbroken 
mass  of  gneiss.  The  cliflfs  are  rarely  vertical,  and  not  un- 
Ircqucntly  form  bare  places  on  a  mountain-side,  set  in  a 
irainework  of  verdure.     Such  a  bare  slope  is  represented  in 


68 


r.nOLOC.Y   AND   I'lIVSICAL  GEOflKAI'IIY. 


tli(!  (ullowiiiir  skctcli  of  (lu;  Fortalc/.ii  de  I'critiiiiiij^a,  below 
\'ill;i    \'('lli;i,    IJiiy   of   Esj)iritu   Saiifo.      Tlioy    aiH!    usually 


i{*?^.' 


roUTAI-KZA   DE   PERITININGA. 


staiuod  liy  ])ori)(Mi(licuIar  liucs,  or  bauds,  oi'  a  rich,  dccji. 
inky,  purplish-black  color,  being  sonic  minute  liclioii 
growth,  and  covered  with  scattered  tufts  of  beautiful  l)r(i- 
nieliaccous  plants,  orchids,  cactuses,  A-c.,  which  give  tliciii 
a  A'cry  ])icturesque  appearance.  Just  below  the  city  of 
Victoria  proper  there  * '  one  of  these  bare  hillsides,  Avhicli 
forms  an  exceedingly  attractive  element  in  the  romantic 
scenery  of  the  island. 

Standing  in  an  amphitheatre  among  the  lieautiful  hill-. 
and  in  full  view  from  the  sea,  forming  a  most  valual)le  land- 
mark for  the  sailor,  is  a  conical  mountain,  bearing  on  top  a 
tower-like  mass,  the  face  of  which  is  excavated  on  the  east- 
ern side  by  a  considerable  cavern,  in  which,  it  is  said,  in  old 
times  fuiritivc  slaves  took  refiurc.  This  mountain  is  called 
Jutuquara,*  or  Frade  de  Sao  Leopardo,  according  to  Mouclioz. 
Its  height  must  be  700  feet  at  least,  probably  more.  It  is 
represented  in  the  sketch  on  the  procedijig  page.    The  gneiss 

*  Prince  Ncu  Wiuil  ;;ivcs  a  wretched  drawing  of  this  mountain  in  his  work. 


llill.s,  down  t 
ilril'l  clay,  in 

lUClllS    C»f    (|l 

and  ai't'uaee 


Ki...     1)( 


rocky  shores 
^las^es  of  y. 
loosely  abou 
Similar  mass 
(|ueta  and  n 
tinie.s  tliese  i 
cni(dy  on  tlu 
(le  Assuear. 
these  boulde 
sides  the  sui 
of  soften iug 
]iosed  I'ock  b 
tlu'  i'orniatio 
the  water  fu 
])oses  all  ro 
washed  awa; 
and  more   f 


PROVINCE   OF    KSriHlK)   SANTO. 


{?.) 


IIDL'LDKK   OK   nKCOMl'OSITION,    VICTOUIA. 

hills,  down  to  a  certain  level,  arc  covered,  us  in  the  soutli,  hy 
ilril't  cday,  in  whicdj  ai'c  imbedded  rounded  and  angular  IVag- 
I  incuts  ol"  (luartz  and  gneiss.  This  forms  a  rather  coarse 
and  jirenaceous  .soil,  which  is  not  so  I'ertile  as  the  dritt  soils 
(if  l\i().  l)(,'comj)<jsition  obtains  here  as  elsewhere.  Th(> 
rocky  shores  and  islands  of  the  bay  ai'e  lined  with  roundcMJ 
masses  of  gneiss,  often  of  innnense  size,  and  which,  lying 
loosely  about,  have  all  the  ai)i»earance  of  erratic  bouldei-s. 
Similar  masses  we  have  ali'eady  found  on  the  shores  of  Pa- 
(juctii  and  many  of  the  other  islands  in  llio  harbor.  Some- 
times these  hovJdcrs  of  (Iccuinposition  arc  seen  })erched  inse- 
curely on  the  toj)S  of  other  I'ocks,  as  is  the  case  near  the  Piio 
do  Assucar.  I  have  seen  no  locality  where  the  foi'mati(M)  of 
these  boulders  is  Itctter  excmjdified  than  here.  On  the  hill- 
sides the  surface  of  projecting  rock-masses  undergoes  a  sort 
of  softening,  which  causes  it  to  separate  from  the  undccom- 
posod  rock  beneath,  and  break  up  into  irregular  Iragments  by 
the  formation  of  a  system  of  cracks.  Through  these  lissure.s 
the  water  finds  access.  Each  one  of  t'  ■:;  fi-agments  decom- 
poses  all  round,  and  the  Lose  decomposed  material  being 
washed  away,  these  masses  ueeomc  rounded,  sc])arate  more 
and  more   from  one  another,  and  sometimes   fall  over,  so 


70 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAl'IIY. 


as  to  lie  on  the  surface  of  tlic  soil.  One  must  tlieroforc 
be  cxccMHlindy  careful  not  to  make  blunders  in  examiniiii: 
them.  The  loos(>  rocks  Iviujj:  on  llie  side  of  the  Morro  dc 
Nossa  SenhcH'a  da  Pcnha,  and  carefully  re})rcsented  in  tlio 
accompanying^  view,  arc  boulders  of  ih'.coinposUion.  Where 
the  rock  undergoing  decomposition  is  on  the  sea-shore, 
and  the  action  of  the  waves  assists  in  the  removal  of  111*.' 
decomposed  material  as  soon  as  formed,  the  effects  produced 
may  l)e  still  more  striking.  The  easternmost  extremity  of 
the  Illia  do  Boi,  just  opposite  the  Penlia,  is  a  projectiiiu', 
sloping  mass  of  compact  gneiss,  as  represented  in  the  follow- 
mg  rough  sketch.     The  whole  surface  of  the  gneiss  is  soft- 


DECOMrOSINO    SCKFACE,   ILII.V    DO    nol 


cncd  to  a  depth  of  several  feet,  and  has  shrunk  entirely 
away  f)'om  the  undecomjwsed  rock.  Tliis  sheet  has  cracked 
through  perj)endicularly  to  the  surface,  and  covers  the  I'ock 
below  like  a  pavement.  The  action  of  the  waves  has,  as 
represented,  removed  these  loose  fragments  from  over  a 
considerable  area,  wliich  is  left  very  regulai-ly  rounded  aiul 
uncracked.  In  other  localities  this  decomposition  and  denu- 
dation have  gone  on  until  only  a  few  of  the  heavier  blocks  aro 


1'  11' I  i 


'm- 


m 


fill 


I 
I 

If 

im 

1(1 


''mMim 


'Alt  t    I,  rJ  W M 


'"  '■mi  k 

][■'  imm 


M 


Til 

iii' 


'mm 


loft  o]i  tlie 

Oil  the  roe] 

southward  ( 

of  this  kinc 

luiikliiigs. 

oriuin  of  tlu 

were  formcH 

si  lore  of  a  si 

diice  such  a 

and  there  w 

stratified  sai 

to  be  found. 

subject  of  Br 

Along  the 

an  irregular  1 

low.    This  li 


ANCl 


sometimes  coi 
within  compai 
traccal)le  aloi 


PROVINCE   OF   ESPIRITO   SANTO. 


71 


left  Oil  the  surface,  presenting  tlie  appearance  of  erratics. 
On  the  rocks  known  as  the  Pacotcs,  lying  a  little  to  the 
southward  of  the  bay,  off  the  coast,  several  large  boulders 
of  tlii.s  kind  are  seen  lying,  presenting  the  appearance  of 
buildings.  It  might  be  objected  to  our  theory  of  the  glacial 
origin  of  the  Brazilian  surface-clays  and  pebbles  that  they 
were  funned  by  a  decomposition  of  this  kind  along  the 
shore  of  a  slowly  sinking  continent.  This  would  never  pi'o- 
duce  sucii  a  coating  of  clay  as  forms  the  drift  of  Brazil, 
and  there  would  certainly  be  associated  with  the  deposits 
stratiiied  sands  and  gravels  and  silts,  which  are  nowhere 
to  be  found.  Farther  on  we  shall  discuss  in  detail  the  whole 
subject  of  Brazilian  drift. 

Along  the  northwestern  face  of  the  Pao  de  Assucar  runs 
an  irregular  horizontal  line,  as  represented  in  the  woodcut  Ijc- 
low.    This  line  consists  of  a  series  of  very  shallow  hollows. 


ascie;s't  sea-level  on  pao  d'assucak,  victoria. 

sometimes  continuous,  and  evidently  worn  l)y  wave-action 
within  comparatively  recent  times.  This  old  wave-line  is  not 
traecal)le  along  the  whole  extent  of  the  cliff.     I  first  ob- 


72 


GEOLOGY  AND  PHYSICAL  GKOGRAl'HY. 


served  it  in  the  latter  part  of  August,  1865.  In  Se|)tcnil)er, 
1867,  I  revisited  the  loeality  shortly  ai'ter  a  tide  of  the  full 
inuon,  wliich  had  left  a  well-marked  muddy  line  running 
around  the  hasc  of  the  Pao  de  Assucar,  and  whieh  the  suc- 
ceeding tides  had  not  reached.     Measuring  as  nearlv  as  I 

CD  CD  V 

could  from  the  middle  of  the  wave-line,  the  mean  of  two 
measurements  gave  mc  as  the  height  of  the  old  water- 
level  above  the  high-tide  level  of  the  13th  September  :].li] 
metres,  or  a  little  more  than  seven  feet.  From  the  old  lino 
to  the  u))per  edge  of  the  zone  of  oysters  is  3.56  metres. 
On  the  face  of  the  cliff  of  the  PiTo,  in  a  little  cove  on  the 
western  side,  1  cut  a  groove  with  my  chisel  indicating  the 
height  reached  by  the  tide  of  the  13th  September,  18G7. 
This  same  old  water-line  may  be  seen  in  several  places  on 
the  rocks  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  channel  below  the  Pao 
do  Assucar,  as  well  as  on  the  face  of  a  cliff  at  the  western 
end  of  the  lieacli  at  Villa  Velha,  whore,  as  nearly  as  I  could 
judge,  it  had  the  same  height  above  the  sea.  This  wave- 
line  marks  a  jieriod  of  rest  when  the  continent,  stand- 
ing for  some  time  at  the  same  level,  gave  an  opportunity 
for  the  little  waves  of  the  sheltered  ])ort  to  excavate  the 
line.  No  such  line  marks  the  present  sea-level,  and  I 
infer,  from  that  and  other  facts,  that  the  land  is  at  present 


rismg. 


The  water  in  the  middle  of  the  bay  is  very  shallow,  and  tlie 
bottom  apjfcars  to  be  a  bank  that  comes  so  near  to  the  surAice 
that  the  sea  sometimes  breaks  over  it.  Between  the  Moieno 
and  Point  Tubarao  the  average  dc])th  is  about  fifteen  metres. 
The  depth  decreases  on  entering  the  channel  hetwecn  the  Ilha 
do  Boi  and  Monte  Moreno,  where  it  is  from  four  to  nine  nietres. 
As  the  chaimel  contracts  the  depth  increases,  and  just  below 
the  Pao  de  Assucar  it  reaches  twenty-four  metres,  while  in  the 


PROVINCE   OF  ESPIRITO  SANTO. 


73 


narrowest  point,  at  tlic  Pao  do  Assucar,  it  is  sixteen  metres. 
Ill  IVont  of  the  town  the  depth  varies  from  six  to  t(>ii  metres, 
and  an  excellent  and  spacious  anchoragc-gnnmd  is  oHered. 
Tiie  water  oj)posite  the  town  is  turbid,  and  the  littoral  fauna 
is  characterized  by  an  abundance  of  oystei-s,  covering  the 
rocks  and  piers  and  mangroves,  to  within  a  few  inches  of 
high-water  mark.  This  is  a  very  small  species,  with  exceed- 
ingly sharp,  wavy  edges,  and  used  for  food  in  Victoi-ia.  The 
coves  between  the  rocky  points  along  the  channel  above  the 
hay  of  Villa  Velha  are  muddy,  and  often  lined  Ijy  niangi'ovcs. 
doing  down  the  channel  the  oysters  grow  less  numerous, 
and  give  way  to  Ijarnacles  and  mussels.  On  the  north  side 
(^rtiie  cove  at  Villa  Velha  the  arrangement  of  the  princij)al 
elements  of  the  littoral  fauna  is  as  is  represented  in  the 
following  diagram. 


a.  Zoi'o  nf  small  barniiclos,  brciidth  throe  to  four  inches. 

b.  Little  lilaek  mussels,  all  reaching  the  same  iii)per  level,  but  forming  irregular 
patches,  extending  in  some  places  as  far  as  a  metre  below  high-tide  mark. 

c.  Large  scattered  barnacles,  and  green  sea-weeds  { I7h-w). 

d.  Coarse  brown  sea-weeds,  corallines,  &c.,  and  oysters. 

Tlio  sea-urchins  begin  above  f/.  and  extend  below   low  water  mark,  but   their 
untenanted  nests  occur  up  to.  and  beyond  high-water  mark. 

On  the  l)cach  at  Villa  Velha,  particularly  near  the  west- 
ern end,  dead  corals  are  thrown  up  in  great  immbers.  In- 
deed, they  are  more  abundant  there  than  on  any  other  South 
American  beach  I  have  seen.  The  commonest  species  is  the 
Mussa  HartUi  Verrill,  which  is  thrown  up  by  the  waves  in 

VOL.  I.  4 


GEOLOGY   AND  PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


great  quantities,  and  evidently  grows  ir  the  immediate 
vicinity;  but  owing  to  tlic  muddiness  of  the  waters  of  the 
cove  I  could  not,  in  the  absence  of  a  dredge,  find  it  alive. 
It  is  usually  drifted  ashore  attached  to  sea-weeds.  So  alnni- 
dant  is  it  in  the  muddy  beach  at  low  tide  that  it  is  collected 
by  the  inhabitants  of  the  Villa  for  lime-making,  and  is  called 
cachhnbo,  or  "  pipe-stem.'"  This  species  is  almost  invariably 
incrusted  with  beautiful  Bryozoa.  On  the  same  beach  occurs 
a  sjiecies  of  Siderastrcca,  and  a  Pccfinia,  or  S/jmp/ii/l/ia,  none 
of  which  I  have  observed  living  in  the  bay.  I  have  seen  in  the 
sands  underlying  the  muddy  shores  farther  up  the  bay  shells 
and  corals  which  cannot  now  live  in  the  turl)id  and  brack- 
ish water.  Before  the  rise  of  the  land  the  bay  extended 
farther  on  both  sides.  The  river  has  since  narrowed  its 
channel,  and  the  turbid  waters  have  driven  down  the  coral 
fiiuna  nearer  the  mouth  of  the  bay.  I  doul>t  whether  the 
Mksscc  arc  now  to  be  found  living  at  Villa  Velha.  I  believe 
that  the  specimens  on  the  shore  have  been  long  dead,  and 
are  thrown  up  by  storms.  Leaving  Villa  Velha,  and  going- 
down  the  bay,  the  oysters  disap})car  as  the  shore  becomes 
more  exjjosed.  Outside  the  harl)or,  and  at  the  base  of  Monte 
Moreno,  is  a  little  island  called  Ilha  Baleeiro.  The  tide- 
pools  of  this  island  and  of  the  adjoining  shore  arc  rieli 
in  corals,  and  at  low  tide  one  may  collect  Ilijmcnog'org'ia^ 
Eioiicicv,  ricxanrcUcc,  and  all  the  sjiecies  common  at  Guara- 
]>ary.  I  am  not  aware  of  the  existence  of  any  coral-banks 
in  the  bay  and  vicinity.  The  Bay  of  Victoria  would  be  a 
rich  ground  for  dredging,  and  so  would  be  the  banks  lying 
off  the  harl)or.  In  fishing  I  have  brought  up  on  the  hook 
masses  of  mdlipores,  etc.,  loaded  with  life,  and  at  the  mouth 
of  the  bay  I  captured  in  this  way  a  large  many-rayed  star- 
fish.    Victoria  appears  to  have  a  reputation  as  a  locality 


for  shells ; 
poor,  and  t 
worn.* 

The  Rio 
the  city, 
sccnds   froi 
amongst  w 
(lark  color 
ai'C  accusto: 

Iro-s." 

The  Hio 

rises  some  1 
in  the  Scrra 
On  the  11 
Lcopoldina, 
comitry  avIk 

*  I  find  in  on 
mcnt  tliiU  tlie  n 
fccnis  to  nic  of  i 

•'])i;  IJovK 
sci\nms.  Pi-^cis 
iionnuiint  1yw\\ 
tntiiinihus,  iil)i 
1105  fVi,L'oiX'S  ii 
i|ist'  irraniina 
(liriint.  Tjovci 
roldrcm  rctlrci 
f|iiilius  ot  ubcn 
E>ui  pst  conpi 
piiiius  jiiscis  lo 
circa  candam  ii 
C't  liauil  scio  a 
usus  est :  Ossil 
corpus  est  com] 
tKiroes  ukramari 


PROVINCE   OF   ESPIKITO   SAKTO. 


75 


for  shells ;  hut  the  littoral  mollusk  fauna  of  Brazil  is  very 
poor,  and  the  shells  of  the  hcachcs  arc  badly  broken  and 
worn.* 

The  Rio  Crubixa  enters  the  harl)or  of  Victoria  just  al)0vc 
the  city.  According  to  the  Diccionario  Clco^rafico^  "  it  de- 
scends from  the  Cordilheira  dos  Aimores  among  rocks, 
amoniist  which  is  found  a  certain  species  of  coral  of  a 
dark  color  and  fragile,  with  which  the  Botocudo  women 
aie  accustomed  to  decorate  their  heads,  necks,  arms,  and 

The  Rio  Santa  ^laria  is  a  much  larger  stream,  which 
rises  some  fifty  miles,  more  or  less,  northwest  of  A'ictoria, 
in  the  Serra  dos  Aimords. 

On  the  Rio  Santa  Maria  is  located  the  colony  of  Santa 
Lctipoldina,  and  as  the  history  of  the  colony  and  of  the 
country  where  it  is  situated  has  an  especial  interest  at  this 


*  I  find  in  one  of  the  letters  of  the  celebrated  Joseph  do  Anchieta  a  state- 
ment tliat  the  nianati  occurred  in  tlie  bay  of  Espirito  Santo,  and  his  description 
Htins  to  me  of  sufhcicnt  interest  to  warrant  my  pivin^  it  in  his  own  words  :  — 

"  ])k  ]5ovk  Marino,  —  Ilac  (pioad  rationcm  tcmporis,  jam  ad  alia  tran- 
-innms.  IMsois  qnidam  est  ((iiem  Bovem  mariniim  dicinnis,  Tndi  fipiarafjnd 
iiniiiniant  fre([uens  in  opj)ido  Spirito  Sancto  ct  aliis  versus  Boream  Iialti- 
tiitiimil)us,  ul)i  ant  nulla  est,  ant  exijrua  adniodum,  et  minor  fpiam  apnd 
DOS  tViirores  injuria:  hie  iufrentis  est  nuipnitudiiiis  herbis  pascitur,  (piod 
i|i>c'  irraiuina  depasta  scopulis,  quos  a;stuaria  ailuunt,  inluerentia  in- 
iliciint.  Bovem  moia  corporo  superat,  cute  obtejiitur  dura,  eloplumti 
coliircm  referenti ;  duo  vellut  bracliia  (pul)us  natat,  habi't  ad  pectus  sub 
(|uilins  et  ubcra,  ad  (piaj  ]>roprios  fd'tus  nutrit,  os  bovi  ])er  omnia  simiiis. 
E>ui  est  conpruenti^sinuis,  ita  ut  dueernere  nequeas,  utrum(|uc  carnis,  an 
potiiis  piscis  loco  haberi  debeant ;  ex  cujus  pin;:uedinc,  qua;  cuti  ex  maximo 
Dfiu  caudani  iniiajret,  ad  modo  i;^ni  fit  liquamcn,  qiujd  jure  butyro  comparari 
't  hand  scio  an  possit  anteccllere  ;  cujus  ad  omnia  cibariacondienda  olei  vice 
ti>us  e>t :  Ossibus  solidis,  et  durissimis  qua\  ))ossint  cboris  vices  <rcrere,  totum 
corpus  est  compactum." —  CnUecrdo  de  noticias  para  a  historia  e  yccHjraphia  Jas 
uardes  ultmmariiins.     Lisboa,  1812. 


76 


GEOLOdY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


time,  when  elTorts  arc  Ijciii;^'  made  to  colonize  the  Brazil- 
ian coast,  1  translate  the  ("ullowin^  from  an  acconnt  of  a 
visit  to  tlie  colony  Ity  Von  Tschudi.*  He  says:  "  AVc 
crossed  swiftly  the  Lameirao  of  the  bay  and  steered  into  the 
river  Santa  Maria.  Its  current  is  quite  slow,  and  offers,  C(jn- 
sequcntly,no})articular  hindrance  to  the  ascent.  Not  far  froiu 
its  mouth  it  receives  from  its  left  bank  the  little  river  Ctna- 
pina,  iind  somewhat  fartlier  Avest  lies,  on  the  right  bank,  tln' 
Porto  da  Pcdi'a,  consisting  of  a  couple  of  houses  and  a  laiuo 
venda.     Uj)  to  this  point  there  is  suflicient  water,  even  I'm 

steamers  of    moderate   draft Following   the   many 

windings  of  the  river  in  ascending  it  to  the  north-noi'thwost. 
we  reached,  after  an  eight  hours'  journey,  the  junction  of 
the  river  Mangarahyba  with  the  Rio  Santa  ]\raria.  The  lo- 
cality becomes,  tlie  farther  up  the  sti-eam  one  goes,  more 
and  more  hilly.  The  banks  of  the  river  th.einselves,  where 
the  character  of  the  lands  allows,  are  in  part  inhabited  hy 
Brazilians,  Avho  have  here  laid  out  little  fazendas  and  occupy 
themselves  ])rincipally  Avith  the  raising  of  horses  and  cattle. 
The  affluents  of  the  Santa  Maria  are  veiy  unini})ortaiit. 
From  the  south  there  empty  into  it  the  Rio  Curipd,  the  Rio 
Taului,  the  Rio  Una,  and  several  other  brooks  whose  names 
I  have  forgotten  ;  on  the  north  the  Rio  Jacuhy,  Rio  Tranie- 
I'im,  (Jatamerim  ?)  and  a  couple  of  entirely  unimportant 
little  rivers  near  the  settlements  Murinho,  Arualia,  and  Poii- 
diuca.  A  rather  extensive  })roperty  is  that  of  Senhor  Jose 
de  Queimado  on  the  left  l)ank,  several  miles  up  the  stream 
from  Porto  da  Pedra ;  over  against  it  several  little  islands 
stand  out  u])on  the  siu'face  of  the  stream.  Likewise  on  tiie 
northern  bank  lies  the  hamlet  of  Santa  ]\Iaria,  distant  some 
seven  to  eight  leagues  aboA'C  the  mouth  of  the  stream,  from 

*  Von  Tschudi,  Rtisen  durch  Drasilim,  Dritter  Band,  Cap.  I. 


which  it  ta 
oi-  makes 
fa/ciida  of 
liver  the  K' 
(li.^taiiee. 
iiliniit  one 
'lie  ("aclioe 
III' till'  rivei' 
-The  Hi 
Sailla   ben]! 

shipe  are  11 
iMce.  It  I 
Maiigaraliy 
ln'miks,  of  V 
(if  the  eohi 
soutii,  one  ( 
the  south,  i\ 
the  Hrazo  d( 
(•I'll  trilmtar 
name  (»f  bni 
l^umaca,  Co 
"  The  nia 
the  Rio  San 
itcd  Iiy  an  a 
alily  tliaii  tl 
repays  laboi 
head-waters 
fonnd  ;  at  ] 
i'eh)ny),  an 
liio  (lo  !Mci 
in  is,")"  hy 

itslirauch,t 


PROVIN'CE   OF    KSriBlTO  SANTO. 


77 


wliicli  it  takes  its  nnmo.  "Wlioro  the  l?i(»  >rnnLnir!iliy  unites, 
(,r  makes  bdrra  with  tlic  Santa  Maria,  lies  the  extensive 
fazenda  ot'Joso  Olaiidio  dc  Freitas.  From  this  estate  up  the 
river  the  Rio  Man^i'araliy  is  innigalde  for  hoats  only  a  siiort 
(listaiiee.  'i'he  navitiahility  ot  the  Rio  Santa  ^laria  ends  at 
;iliniit  one  league  fi'oni  the  mouth  ol'  the  Rio  ^langai'ahy  at 
the  Cachoeira  de  Jose,  above  wliieli  rocks  make  the  channel 
of  till'  river  iinj)assal)le 

'•  Tlie  Rio  Santa  ^faria  rises  westward  from  the  colonv  of 
Saiila  L('()i)oldina  in  a  mountain  range,  on  whose  western 
slojic  are  the  sources  of  several  of  the  tributaries  of  the  Rio 
iKirc.  It  (Irst  l)ecomes  important  after  receiving  the  I'iver 
Maiigarahy.  This  last  is  formed  of  a  muuber  of  mountain 
l)i(i(.ks,  of  which  the  greater  part  rise  in  tlie  southern  j»art 
(if  the  colony.  It  receives  two  larger  tributaries  on  the 
smith,  one  of  which,  the  Rio  do  Medio,  liounds  the  colony  on 
the  s(»uth,  and  the  other,  consi(lcral)ly  smaller,  on  the  east ; 
the  i)ia/,o  do  Sul  takes  its  rise  Ijeyond  the  colony.  Its  north- 
(111  tiilmtaries  are  very  numerous,  but  are  only  worthy  of  the 
name  (»f  brooks.  The  most  consideraldc  are  the  Ribcrao  da 
Suniaca,  Corrego  Isabel,"  etc.,  <tc. 

"  The  margins  of  the  Rio  Mangarahy,  from  its  union  with 
the  Rio  Santa  Maria  to  the  colony,  are  quite  thickly  iidiab- 
ired  Iiy  an  agricultural  population,  and  much  more  consider- 
alily  tlian  those  of  the  main  river,  l)ecause  the  locality  here 
reiiays  labor  l)etter.  It  appears  that  on  certain  [daces  on  the 
head-waters  of  the  Rio  ^langarahy  traces  of  wash-gold  were 
I'ound  ;  at  least  the  names  California  de  Dentro  (in  the 
eelony),  and  California  de  Fora  on  the  southern  liank  of  the 
Iiiii  di>  ^leio,  would  indicate  it.  The  colony  was  founded 
m  lsr)T  l)y  Germans,  who  settled  on  the  Santa  ]\Iaria,  and 
its  branch,  the  Ribcrao  das  Farinhas.     This  choice  of  locality 


78 


GF.OLOGY   AND  PHYSICAL   GEOGRArilY. 


provinp;  injudicious,  another  sjmt  fnrth(M-  south,  near  the  Quar- 
tel  i>ra<ranza,'\vas  chosen,  and  settled  also  with  Germans  ;  but, 
through  the  worst  possible  management  on  the  part  of  gov- 
ernment em|)loyds,  as  well  as  the  bad  (luality  of  the  lands,  tlu; 
colony  became  demoralized,  and  has  been  a  failure." 

"  The  territory  of  Santa  Leopoldina  is  C(miposed  of  quite 
high,  for  the  most  part  steep,  mountains  and  narrow  valleys, 
rarely  broader  than  the  channel  of  the  river  which  flow.s 
through  it.  The  soil  consists  princij)ally  of  quartz  sand,  the 
surface  soil,  usually  two  to  three  inches  thick,  is  held  to- 
gether by  a  network  of  fine  roots  with  some  humus.  Only 
in  certain  i)laccs,  where  one  of  the  valleys  widens  somewhat 
near  a  stream,  layers  of  rich  soil  brought  down  from  the 
mountains  are  found,  and  here,  naturally,  is  also  the  great- 
est fertility.  The  national  custom  of  prei)aring  the  soil  fur 
the  first  cultivation,  l)y  axe  and  fire,  is,  for  situations  like 
those  of  Santa  Leopoldina,  the  most  destructive.  The  heavy 
fire  from  the  burning  of  the  felled  forests  destroys  partially 
the  layer  of  humus  and  organic  substances,  and  althciijili 
ashes  remain  as  nourishment  for  the  future  harvest,  it  is  at 
the  same  time  deprived  of  quite  a  deep  layer  of  soil  in  which 
it  can  take  root,  and  which,  in  addition,  the  moisture  binds 
together.  Through  the  cutting  down  of  the  trees  the  steep 
mountain  slopes  are  exposed  to  the  full  influence  of  the 
tropical  rains,  and  through  these  the  best  part  of  the  culti- 
vated fields  is  washed  away  and  carried  to  the  Rio  Santa 
Maria,  which  finally  deposits  it  in  the  Lameirao  of  the  Bay 
of  Victoria.  It  is  a  well-established  fact  that  in  Santa  Leo- 
poldina the  soil,  through  culture,  becomes  more  quickly  un- 
fruitful than  in  any  other  colony.  The  forests  with  which 
the  mom)  tains  of  Santa  Leopoldina  are  covered  do  not  pre- 
sent the  same  majestic  appearance  as  those  of  the  north  and 


A 


south  of tl 
auci'  (if  ii 
.oi'cst. 
I'.ra/ilian 
IMod'Alh 
assi'i  (I)iin 
resented 
corresj)()U( 
The  C(  ■  n 
Th(«  stalks 
anee.     Th 
year  than  t 
01  line,  ncco 
useless,  wli 
aiU'ipuito  til 
Eijually  unl 
of  the  colTe< 
tie  nourishr 


sickens,  an( 


ruoviNCK  OF  EsriniTO  saxto. 


79 


south  of  tlio  province.     Tlioy  have  much  more  the  appcar- 
ancf  (»('ii  weak  second  f^rowth  (Capoeiras)  than  of  a  virgin 
ToiTst.     All  those  ))lants  wliich,  to  the  practiM  d  eye  of  the 
r.iazilian  husbandman,  hespeak  a  fruitful  soil,  —  such  as  tho 
I'ao  d'Alho  ((larlic-tree),  Jacaranda  (Rosewood),  Taiiuara' 
nssu  ( l>anil)oo),  A.C., —  either  do  not  apj)car,  or  arc  rep- 
resented hy  very  feeble  specimens.     The  cultivated  j)hints 
corrcsjxmd  in  their  develoinnent  with  the  forest  vegetation. 
The  C(   n  remains  low,  and  ordinarily  i)roduces  small  ears. 
The  stalks  olten  dry  up  before  the  cars  make  their  aj)j)car- 
ance.    The  roots  of  the  mandioca  arc  smaller  in  the  second 
year  than  they  are  in  the  other  colonies,  and  frequently  bc- 
(•(.1110,  nccording  to  the  testimony  of  the  colonists,  black  and 
useless,  which  fact  is  to  be  accounted  for  by  the  want  of  an 
adiMjiiate  thickness  of  humus.     The  black  beans  fail  entirely. 
E(iually  unfavorable  is  the  character  of  the  s<oil  for  the  j_rowtli 
of  the  colTee-trec  ;  in  the  first  year,  while  it  yet  needs  but  lit- 
tle nourishment,  it  grows  very  favorably  ;  but  in  the  second  it 
sickens,  and,  as  a  rule,  gives  out.     Colonists  who  had  set 
out  1,000  to  1,200  coffee-trees,  possessed  at  tho  end  of  the 
second  year  only  a  couple  of  hundred,  and  so  soon  as  these, 
on  the  following  year,  had  bloomed,  and  the  fruit  had  set, 
the  leaves  rolled  up,  fell,  and   the  little  trees,  without  ex- 
ception, gave  out." 

While  in  Victoria  I  met  numljers  of  colonists  from  Santa 
Lcopoldina,  and  all  told  the  same  story.*  There  can  be  no 
doulit  that  a  lamentable  mistake  was  committed  in  establish- 
ing the  colony  in  so  wretched  a  region.     The  lands  of  the 


*  There  is  a  stronj;  prejudice  a<;iiinst  Germans  in  this  part  of  the  country. 
They  are  represented  as  idle  and  p;iven  to  drini^inj:,  and  I  am  very  sorry  to 
say  that  it  is  fidly  confirmed  by  my  acquaintance  with  those  colonists  I  met  iu 
Victoria.    Elsewhere  the  Germans  make  good  colonists. 


80 


OKOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   (lEOGRArMlY. 


t'ontrnl  part  of  the  j)r()vimH.'  of  I<jS[)irito  Santo  ai'o  vory  [looi'. 
whereas  tlioso  of  the  north  and  south  are  very  fertile  •  mihI 
Vietoria,  thou^ih  possessed  of  a  most  exeellent  harhor,  will 
never  in  itself,  in  all  prohuhility,  heconie  a  place  of  niiidi 
iuiportanec  lieeanse  of  the  want  of  lertility  of  the  siir- 
ronndin^i'  eoiiiitry,  and  the  ini))ra('lieal»ility  of  niakiiiL-' 
it  one  of  llu-  ports  of  the  pi'ovinee  of  Minas  (Icracs. 
There  arc;  some  <j;ood  hinds,  as  J  shall  have  occasion  to 
show,  lyinj;'  to  the  nortlieast,  and  the  as  yet  nndevcdopcil 
af^ricultnral  reii'Ions  of  the  Rio  Doce  are  distant  oidy  some 
sixty  miles.  The  cutting' of  a  canal  to  unite  the  Doce  hy 
water  with  Victoria  has  been  advocated,  hut  in  my  JudLiinciit 
it  is  not  i)ractical)le.  In  the  event  of  the  successful  coloniza- 
tion of  the  Doce,  a  railroad  to  some  point  on  that  river  could 
easily  he  constructed,  so  far  as  the  jiliysical  dilliculties  to  lie 
encountered  arc  to  he  considered.  The  mouth  of  the  Doce 
is  so  dangerous  to  enter  that  it  will  never  answer  as  a  jiort. 
and  the  Tlio  Sao  Matheos,  lying  to  the  north,  though  it  may 
be  entered  hy  small  vessels  and  steamers,  is,  after  all,  ill 
suited  to  be  the  port  of  the  Doce.  Dy  making  Victoria  tlic 
outlet  of  the  connnercc  of  the  Doce  many  advantages  wilUe 
gained.  Sao  Matheos  will  never  answer  as  a  port  for  a 
foreign  trade.  The  products  of  that  region,  as  well  as  of 
the  Doce,  arc  more  likely  to  go  to  Rio  than  elsewhere  lor 
final  shipment  to  foreign  ports,  and  this  trade  is  now  carried 
on  in  small  vessels  and  coasting  steamers.  The  voyage 
from  Rio  to  Sao  ^latheos,  though  often  very  short,  is  uncor- 
tain,  owing  to  the  prevalence  of  northeast  winds,  and  the 
passage  of  the  jiointof  the  Doce  is  often  difficult.  By  mak- 
ing Victoria  the  port,  tlivj  voyage  to  Rio  would  be  shortened 
one  hundred  miles  at  least,  and  made  very  much  more  easy, 
while  Victoria,  being  a  port  admitting  ships  of  large  ton- 


or, 
11(1 
■ill 


111:' 

'S, 

to 
cd 

lie 
liV 
lit 


4 


I 


IC 


.mm^i 


'i-'i'i 


kMf0k 


I  l',r,j 
i' 


■If? 


!  irii 


mi^^'il 


ll>"l    ll 


III     Hiilir       :/! 
II    il  >   ' 


iiiiii:ii:fiii!i;ii 


ii,!i:ii:j:ii!,i,,;/ii!il'i;i;,i!! 


i   i:t';i':':r'iP'!i 

II  '    '     I'll''  '  I    Mil!    |i  1    'I' 


[ini'tS. 

At    prose 

possessing 
the    jjoorest 
watf'i'    bonU 
^'il•tul•ia   an 
very  rieh   ii 
(species  of 
the  lisliernie 
sucli  is  the 
ilmie  to  (love 
cat  cot/Jish  a 
lish  lo  Euroj 

J  liiid  ail  ( 
and  can  test 
o])p()i'tuiiity  (| 
the  books  hn 
fioui  a  (Icpt 
species  of  Pf 

Oil  the  no 
ready  remarl 
nmnicating  \ 
in  the  nceoni 
vai'i).  It  rcc 
the  water  of 
is  Iiut  an  esti 
1i  is  veiT  ti 
loiiji  distance 
it  is  ever  use 
this  channel 
luuuntain  ni; 


PROVINCE   OF   ESPIRITO   SANTO. 


81 


:l 


iiano,  iui.ulit  1)C  made  the  centre  of  a  direct  trade  with  foreign 

[M»l'tS. 

At  ])rcsent  the  j)rovincc  of  Kspii-ito  Santo,  tliough 
|(Ossessiiig  abnndantly  the  soui'ces  of  wealth,  is  one  of 
the  poorest  and  most  wretclied  of  tlie  Empire.  Tlie 
\\;itfi'  l)ordering  the  coast  is  very  sliallow,  and  jnst  oif 
Victoria  are  the  extensive  l)anks  of  A^ictoria,  whicli  arc 
vciv  lich  in  fish,  especially  g-aronims^  parg-os,  vrrmdhus 
(sjiccics  of  Scrranns'),  <tc.,  and  tliey  are  nnich  resorted  to  by 
the  fishermen  of  the  coast,  especially  IVom  CJuarapary  ;  l)ut 
such  is  the  sloth  of  the  fishing  iM)j)ulation  that  nothing  is 
(liiiic  to  develo})  this  mine  of  wealth,  and  the  A'ictorienses 
(■at  fod/ish  and  European  sardines  when  they  might  export 
lisii  to  Europe  ! 

I  liad  an  opi)ortunity  of  fishing  one  day  on  these  l)anks, 
and  can  testilV  to  the  abundance  of  the  fish,  but  I  had  no 
npportunity  of  dredging ;  occasionally,  as  almve  remarked, 
the  hooks  brought  up  masses  of  nullipore  rich  in  life,  and 
IVniii  a  depth  of  some  fifty  feet  I  collected  in  this  way  a 
species  of  Pfcro<j;'orij;-ia,  apparently  new. 

On  the  northern  side  of  the  island  of  Victoria  is,  as  al- 
'oady  remarked,  a  tidal  channel  running  westward  and  com- 
icunicating  with  the  Rio  Santa  ^faria.  This  channel  is  seen 
in  the  accompanying  engraving  of  the  Morro  de  Mestre  Al- 
va i(j.  It  receives  and  carrie?  to  the  sea  a  ])art  at  least  of 
tlu'  v.at(M-  of  the  Santa  ^laria  and  of  the  river  westward.  It 
is  l)ut  an  estuary,  its  waters  ebbing  and  flowing  with  the  tide. 
11  is  very  turl)id,  and  oysters  grow  along  its  l)anks  for  a 
lonp:  distance  above  the  Passagem.  I  am  not  aware  that 
it  is  ever  used  for  the  purposes  of  navigation.  Northward  of 
this  channel  are  a  few  gneiss  hills,  and  thence  to  the  grand 
mountain  mass  of  the  Morro  da  Serra,  or  Mestre  Alvaro, 

4*  F 


82 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGHArilY. 


strctc'lics  a  siiiid-plaiu  Avliieli  ('xtcnds  eastward  to  the  Pont:! 
do  'ruharao  and  westward  to  the  Rio  Santa  Maria,  bonmlcii 
on  Ihc  norlli  hy  the  serni  and  the  steej)  sh)])e  of  tlie  cducs 
of  the  tei'tiaiy  strata,  which  lie  lietween  the  serra  and  the  sea- 
coast,  as  seen  in  the  engravini;'.  This  ])hun  consists  on  tin 
snrl'ace  of  coarse  wliite  sand  without  shells.  The  ahscnce  ol' 
sea-shells  from  these  marine  deposits  ai)i)ears  remarkable  at 
first  sight,  ])nt  it  is  no  doubt  largely  owing  to  the  fact  lliar 
they  have  been  dissolved  out  by  rains.  "Whei'e  these  jiiaiib 
have  been  cut  through  by  rivers,  shells  are  seen  in  the  lo\\\'>t 
beds,  as,  for  instance,  on  the  left  Ijank  of  the  Itabapuaiia. 
a  few  miles  ai)ovc  the  Barra.  The  jilaiu  north  of  A'ictmi;! 
bears  the  same  kind  of  vegetation  as  that  which  charactn- 
izes  the  jtlains  farther  south.  Just  jirevious  to  the  last  ri^' 
of  the  land  these  ])lains  were  under  water,  and  the  hill> 
of  tlie  \  icloria  grouj)  stood   as  islands  in  the  mouth  dl' 

a  bay. 

Crossing  the  sand-]»lains,  a  steej)  ascent  of  about  fifty  foot 
at  Carapina  l)rings  one  to  the  level  of  the  tertiary  jAaiiis. 
Avhere  one  leaves  the  sands.  These  plains  arc  covered  by  a 
clayey  soil  varying  nnich  in  fertility.  Near  Carajjina  tlh'iv 
arc  some  lands  available  for  cultivation,  and  part  of  the  iilain 
is  covered  by  trees.  At  Carai)ina  the  soil  is  clayey,  ^itli 
very  little  sand,  and  of  a  slate-blue  color ;  but  going  east- 
ward toAvard  the  sea  the  soil  grows  drier  and  more  stcrili'. 
The  trees  are  very  scattered  and  coarse-barked,  and  when  in 
clunij)s  are  free  from  undergrowth.  The  open  plain  is  covcivl 
by  a  scanty  growth  of  tall  coarse  grass,  and  is  diversified  liv 
great  numbers  of  ant-hills,  —  irregularly  dome-shaped  struc- 
tures of  clay,  often  quite  round,  as  hard  as  stone,  and  resem- 
bling boulders  scattered  over  the  ])lain.  1  presume  thai  tli'' 
cliaracter  of  the  vegetation  over  this  region  is,  as  elscwhore. 


V 


ill  part  (hie 
taiils,  have 
jilaiits.     Til 
aci'ni'diug  tc 
l.iit  ai'coi'diii 
ill  tlic  liills 
readies  tlic 
\i  is  only  a 
niili's.>  it  be 
tiaiy  Iicds, 
iiai'fuw,  wit! 
is  aliiiiit  one 
tiaiy  clays, 
iliirkciiiiig  1 
IVniu  the   hi 
iini'iss  is  e> 
hills  ihe   su 
ihilatiiig  aiK 
lit'  i:laeiers, 
siiils  of   the 
a<  ill  the  \\v 
li'W  miles  fr( 
the  ciilture  0 
aiv  iiioi'c  \ny 
byiiiL;'  to  the 
is  the  hii'gc  1 
laiiis  overdo 
V'hjch   time 
Kar. 

The  Mcstl 
invn'iilarjy  | 
tile   Li'iielss  ] 


PROVINCE   OF  ESPiniTO   SANTO. 


83 


in  part  due  to  lircs,  which,  periodically  set  by  the  iiihalii- 
tiiiits,  liavc  killed  all  except  the  most  hardy  trees  and  utlu'i- 
iilants.  The  liio  Carahype  is  a  little  stream  which  rises, 
accnrding  to  C}ci'l)er's  map,  to  the  northwest  of  the  scrra  ; 
l,iit  aci'oi'ding  to  my  notes  and  observations  it  takes  its  origin 
in  tlic  liills  north  of  the  serra,  and,  traversing  the  plain, 
readies  (he  sea  a  few  miles  north  of  the  l^onta  do  Tut)arao. 
li  is  oidy  a  rcsi)ectal)le  brook,  of  no  service  for  navigation, 
iniless  it  be  for  canoes,  it  has  cut  down  through  the  ter- 
tiaiy  lieds,  and  has  a  rather  deej)  channel.  Its  valley  is 
iiai  TOW,  with  steep  sides.  Near  the  town  of  ^^erra  the  valley 
is  aliiiut  one  hundred  feet  in  dei)th,  showing  that  tlie  ter- 
tiary clays,  lying  against  a  sloping  bottom,  jirolialjly  also 
tliiekening  towards  the  hills,  form  l)eds  that  slope  gently 
I'loni  the  hills  to  the  sea.  In  some  localities  near  Serra 
uni'iss  is  exposed  in  the  l)ottom  of  the  river.  Near  the 
hills  the  surface  is  irregular,  and  the  ))lain  becomes  un- 
dulating and  broken,  —  the  result,  I  believe,  of  the  action 
(if  glaciers,  as  well  as  of  streams,  from  the  hills.  The 
snils  (»r  the  tcrtiaiy  laiuls  bordering  the  high  grounds, 
as  in  the  vii-iuity  of  Serra  and  along  the  Rio  Reis  3Iagos.  a 
lew  miles  from  its  mouth,  are  rpiite  good,  and  are  use(l  for 
the  eultui'e  of  coffee,  cotton.  Arc.  The  forests  of  these  regions 
ore  inore  luxuriant  than  is  elsewhere  the  case  on  the  jdains. 
hyinu'  to  the  nortli  of  the  river,  and  not  far  from  the  shore, 
is  the  lui'gc  and  shallow  Lagoa  Jacund,  which  during  heavy 
I'ains  overflows  and  sends  its  waters  into  the  Carahype,  at 
v.hich  lime  that  river  widens  its  channel  and  opens  its 
har. 

'file  Mestre  Alvaro,  or  the  Morvn  da  Serra,  is  an  isolated, 
inen-ulai'ly  pyramidal  mountain-mass  of  gneiss  standing  in 
tlic  uueiss  i>lain  a  few  miles  northwest  of  Victoria,  and 


84 


GEOLOGY  AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


prcsoiithifr  on  all  sides  very  similar  outlines.  Its  lieiulit  I 
should  estimate  at  altout  8,000  feet.  It  stands  like  a 
pyramid  on  the  j)lain,  majestic  and  alone,  ^fore  j)lc!is- 
ing  and  symmetrical  in  outline,  and  more  isolated  in  it> 
p(jsiti(Hi,  it  is  more  l)eaiitirul  than  Ti^juca  ;  and,  seen  I'ldiu 
the  sea,  it  looms  uj)  grand  and  Idue  against  the  tropical  ^ky 
and  the  far-oif  line  of  serras,  ■\vliich  lie  along  the  horizon  liki- 
the  front  of  an  ai)proaching  storm.  It  is  densely  covcinl 
with  forest,  but  on  its  slopes  arc  extensive  coffee-jjlantatioiis. 
which  yield  well.  The  Diccioncwio  6Vf;£,'7*<:{//r'o  says  that  for- 
merly emeralds  and  magnetic  iron  were  found  there.*  In  mi  v 
striking  contrast  with  the  quiet,  sans  souci  air  of  Victoria,  with 
its  grass-grown  streets,  is  the  little  village  of  i^erra,  wliith, 
owing  to  its  being  situated  in  an  agricultural  region,  is  ovx 
of  tlie  most  busines»-like  towns  in  the  province  of  Espirito 
Santo.  This  little  town  is  built  near  the  liasc  of  the  lii!!>: 
on  the  northeast  side  of  the  ]Mestrc  Alvaro.  I  was  told  that 
water  comnuniication  existed  between  it  and  the  Iky  of  Vic- 
toria, but  my  visit  to  the  locality  was  rather  has^y,  and  tliis 
may  not  be  correct.  Northward  of  the  Mcstre  Alvaro 
are  a  few  gneiss  hills  stretching  in  a  line  toward  the  Eio 
dos  Reis  Magos.  "West  of  the  Mestrc  there  is  much  hv 
land.  The  api)earance  of  the  coast  from  Victoria  to  within 
a  few  miles  of  the  Rio  Poc'e,  a  distance  of  nearly  fifty  miles. 
as  seen  from  a  point  at  sea  about  ten  miles  east  of  Riaclio. 
is  given  in  the  accom})an}ing  illustration.  The  main  >^om 
dos  Aimords  is  seen  in  the  background,  stretching  along  like 

*  Saint  Ililairc  ascended  the  Mestrc  Alvaro.  He  speaks  of  meeting  wiili  t';e 
l)aml)()o  7\i(jH(ir(i-assii  in  the  forest,  at  a  considcrahle  elevation  above  the  ph'w.. 
and  remarks  that  these  i)lants  require  humidity  and  considerable  elevation. 
(Saint-IIilaiue,  VnijaijvH  sur  h  Vitloral  du  Bri'xil,  2"''  Partie,  p.  275.)  Von 
Miirtius  says  that  the  bamboos  flourish  principally  at  a  height  of  1.800  w 
2,000  feet  above  the  sett. 


a  \v;ill  at  a 

III   iVniif   al'C 

Al\;;ro.  Xov; 

Tlir    Rio 
wliii'li  rises 
iiiln  llic  sea 
( 'allocs  ascc) 
i'av.  oil  the  s 
"!'  the  Icrtia 
aiicii'iit  \'illa;. 
liiiiH'  iiortlnvi 
imrili  (»r  wliic 
liiarslics  and 
I'-'..     |!ehv(. 

iIh'  liollll,tllO 

'lit'  wliii'li  lie 
Tlic  ri\c'r 
-Hi'aiii  art(»i'(li 
•  il'iliiciits  arc  t 
i'ito  a  little  |)£ 
a  liarlior  for  s 
•^aiita  ("ruz  ni 
^'■;i.  aiid,  iinlil 
Mrncic(l  l,y  bn 
'"  tli<'  liiet  th 
''"'  little  sedii 

'  Here  Wilt;  cstii 
'  '1'  furni>liin;:  insti 
^aint-lIiiiiiiT  ( 
'' ■■■'I'li-ii^sii,  iK'ai- 

^'lliil.l"    >lu'll.llc.i,I): 

"'■l^r  of  Sar,  P;iulr 
*jf'tcn  contain  liuini 


PROVIXCE    OF   KSPIRITO   SANTO. 


85 


a  wall  at  a  (listaiu'c  of  firtceu  to  tweiity-five  miles,  while 
111  rimit  are  the  isoUited  gruiips  of  hills  (jf  Victdria,  Mcstre 
Ah  ant.  Nova  Almeida,  Arc. 

Tlic  Kie  Keis  Maji'os,  or  A[iia|)itaii,ua,  is  a  little  stream 
wiiidi  I'iscs  ill  the  .sei'ra  northwest  oi' the  Mestre  ami  empties 
iiiM  the  sea  iil'teeu  miles  north  of  the  Uay  of  I^spirito  Santo. 
(  aiKifs  ascend  it  only  twenty  miles,  it  emptio  into  a  little 
ha;.-.  Ill)  the  south  side  oi'  whieh,  sitnatcd  j»artly  on  the  level 
(.1  ilie  tertiary  plain  and  partly  ln'neath  the  slope,  is  the 
aiicit'iit  villa<i'e  of  Nova  Almeida.*  The  tertiary  IxmIs  eon- 
liiiiie  iiortlnva.d  to  the  port  of  Aldea  \'elha,  or  Santa  Ci'nz, 
imrili  of  which  they  disappear  from  the  coast,  and  <>ive  way  to 
liKiislics  and  swamj)S  that  occupy  the  coast  thence  to  the  Hio 
[•lire.  Detween  Nova  Almeida  and  Santa  Cruz,  as  well  as  to 
the  iinitii,the  sandstone  l)eds  form  in  some  parts  rocky  shores, 
utl'wliich  lie  isolated  skerries,  which  ol)struet  l)oth  liays. 

Tlic  river  Santa  Cruz  is,  like  the  lleis  Chinos,  a  little 
stivaiii  affordino-  navigation  for  canoes  only.  Its  })rineij)al 
ililiiciits  are  the  Piriqui-assu  f  f^'^*^!  l?iri(|ni-mii'im.  It  opens 
intu  a  little  hay  like  that  of  Xova  Almeida,  and  which  aflbi'ds 
a  iiailioi-  for  small  vessels.  The  hays  of  Xova  Almc^ida  and 
>aii1a  ('luz  are  noteworthy  in  that  they  ojten  broadly  to  the 
Ma.  and,  nnlike  the  mouths  of  the  other  rivers,  ai'e  unoh- 
stiiictcd  by  1»ars, —  a  circumstance  which  is,  jierhaps,  owing 
'"  the  fact  that  the  rivers  emptying  into  them  bring  down 
'"lit  little  sediment. 

"  Itciv  wiis  cstablislied  anciently  a  Jesuit  missionary  station,  witli  a  school 
lur  furni>hin;_' instruction  in  the  Tupi  l;(njj:uagc. 

■  S;iint-llili\irc  ilcscrihes  liea])s  of  oyster  and  other  shells  honlcrinj.'-  the  river 
I'iriiiiii-iissii,  near  Aldea  Vellia,  which  are  without  douI)t  Kjalh'iimmklhujs. 
Suiiil:u'  >lu'll-hoaps,  or  oMnimx.  as  they  arc  called  in  Brazil,  are  found  on  the 
ni;\>t  ut'  S:h,  I'luilo.  and  on  tlic  Ilha  dt)  (iovernador,  in  the  Bay  of  Uio.  They 
oitou  contain  human  remains,  ]iottcry,  &c. 


8G 


Gi:OLO(iY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


I  liavc  stiilcd  smcral  times  close  alonu"  <lie  slioi'e  IVoiu  Sunt;) 
Ci'iiz  Id  the  Jiio  J)()ce,  l)ut  1  have  never  hiiule(l,  and  J  nm 
unalih-  tu  desei'ihe  it  in  detail,  as  well  as  tlu^  Hat  lands  lyiii'^ 
Itehind  it,  nor  have  i  any  ti'nstwoi'tliy  infoiunation  eonci  in- 
inii'  them.  'J'he  sliuiv  is  l)()rdere(l  l»y  a  sand-lieiieh  like  tliaf 
stretch inii;  sunth  of  tlie  I'ai'ahyha  do  Snl,  and  the  lands  in 
its  rear  are  plains  divei'silied  I>y  s\vain])S,  shallow  lai;'(»oii>, 
and  clianncds  which,  liavin*;'  never  been  explored,  jire  lui^l 
down  incorrectly  on  all  maps.  Mnch  of  this  low  u'rouml  i^ 
suitable  Ibr  pastnra<i'o,  and,  so  i'ar  as  my  observations  go,  ihr 
gi'caler  part  is  very  heavily  wooded. 

The  great  Serra  da  Manti(|ueira,  S(^j)arating  itscdl'froin  tln' 
ScM'ra  do  ^hir  near  Sfio  Paulo,  runs  to  the  inntli  of  that 
seri'a,  and  almost  j)arallel  with  it,  on  the  noi'tliern  con^Hlt^ 
(.)!'  the  provinces  of  Sao  Paulo  and  Rio  de  .laneii'o,  inru 
^Minas,  passing  near  I>arl)accna,  whence  it  continues  with 
the  sauK,"  trend,  under  various  mimes,  lieyond  the  Rio  Vtxx. 
To  the  southeast  it  gives  rise  to  a  host  of  httlo  I'ivcis 
which  flow  into  the  Parahyba  do  Sul,  while  on  the  nunli- 
eastern  side  the  Rio  (Irande,  one  of  the  tril)utaries  of  tln' 
Parana  system,  and  the  Rio  Docc  take  their  rise.  Fniin 
Barbacena  a  cordilheii'a  runs  northward,  separating  tln' 
waters  of  the  Rio  Doco  from  those  of  the  Rio  Grande  aii'l 
the  Sao  Francisco,  while  aiKjthei'  line  of  serras,  with  a  ,u<ii- 
cral  northeast  course,  leaving  the  Serra  do  Espinhaco  mai' 
Diamaiitina,  forms  a  water-shed  between  the  rivers  Don' 
and  .b'(juitiidionha.  The  basin  of  the  Docc  forms  an  un- 
e(pial-sided  (|uadrilateral  figure,  whose  sides  measure  vdv 
nearly  as  Ibllows  :  the  northeastern  side  120,  the  soutlicast- 
ern  I'oO,  the  western  100,  and  the  northern  00  nules,  wliicli 
would  make  the  area  drained  by  the  river  very  much  larii'!' 
than  that  of  the  Parahyba  do  Sul.     Gerber  estimates  tlif 


;iiva  eiiibra 
Ic'ciucs.  'I 
its  rise  onl\ 
hv  the  uido 
l>]iiiiharo. 
die  Kio  dai 
wiii'd  into  t 
iiiiij  iKirthw 
tiiii'lh-north 
ui'iiiiiiij  the 

r;i>t     (lil'CCti 

|ia>^iiig  a  s 
lower  groui 

This  I'ive 
linii  of  a  de 
Alt.  Docc. 

'•  The  ai 
''amio  as  tl 
a-sci't  that 
liai'ii,  which 
li_v  the  soiii 
lii^laiice  {'\'( 
Hncc  at  tw' 
fciia,  in  the 
runs  about 
ing  on  its  ' 
>l!'canis  fro 
canoes,  wlu 
do  Dcserto 
niented    Ijy 

*  Aci'drdiiiji 
iil'Diit  live  Icuiii 


I'KOVINCE    OF    KSI'irniO   SANTO. 


87 


aivii  cinbracod  witliiii  tlic  luisiii  of  tlio  Doco  at  2, ;'.<)<>  si|iiaro 
Ici'^iics.  'riu,'  Rio  Doco,  uikU'i-  the  iiaiuc  of  Chopotn.  lakes 
i'srisc  only  a  few  miles  from  IJarltacciia,  in  \\\v  auiilc  foiMn<'(l 
liv  the  union  oi"  tlu'  Sci'ra  <la  Manti(|U('ira  and  liu'  Scrra  do 
l>|iinii;i<;().  From  tliis  point  the  wafers  How  wcslwaid  into 
till'  iiio  das  Mortcs,  a  trilmtary  of  llie  I'arana  system,  east- 
wind  into  the  l'onil)a,  one  of  the  liranelu's  of  the  I'arahyha, 
iiml  nurthwai'd  into  the  Docc.     Itts  eoui'se   is  at  first  ahout 


Kll' 


ih-noi'theast  np  to  latitude   1'.>°,  Avhen   it    bends  ahrujdly 
ariiiiiid  the  Scri'a  das  Jbitin'unas,  and  then   Hows  in  a  sonth- 
-t   dii'cc'tion  to  the  eonfmes  of  the   piovinee,  Avhen.  after 


I'll 


iKo^niu' 


a  series  of  I'apids  calle(l  the   l'>cadinlias,  it  read 


ics 


lower  ui'oiinds,  and  is  thei'eafter  mivi^ahle  to  its  month. 

This  I'ivei'  is  of  so  nuieh  impoi'tanee  that  J  a(hl  a  transla- 
linu  uf  a  desei'iptioii  of  it  I'rom  the  DiccioiKirio  LUoL^-niJico, 
Alt.  Docv. 

'•  Tlie  anei(Mit  gvogi'aphers  eonsidereil  the  Kiheirao  do 
<';iiin()  as  the  principal  oriii'in  of  the  Rio  l>oee,  A\hile  others 


-S( 


rt  that  it  i-isos  near  Sahara,  in 


the  I 


viheii'o  Santa   i5ar- 


iii'ii, 


which  em])tics  into  the  J'iracicaha.  J>nt  if  one  means 
liv  the  soni'ce  of  a  river  that  ])oint  uhieh  is  at  the  greatest 
ilistance  from  its  mouth,  Ave  ouj^'ht  to  ])lace  that  of  the  \\\o 
Hnce  at  twelve  leau'ues*  to  the  east  of  the  A'illa  of  J]arha- 
iciii),  in  the  spot  Avhere  the  I?io  Chopoto  )»euins.  I'his  ri\er 
runs  about  twenty  leag'ues  in  a  northward  direction,  reeeiv- 
iiiu' on  its  left  haidc  the  Ilio  das  l*ii'ang'as,  besides  various 
streams  Irom  both  sides.  It  only  offers  easy  navioatiun  for 
canoes,  when,  having'  "watered  the  settlement  of  Santa  Anna 
do  Desei-to,  it  inclines  toward  the  noi'thwest,  beinu'  aug- 
uieuted   l)v  the  stream  Turvo  on  the   rinht  and    the    Kio 


\ci'(irilnu 


to  Cicrlicr',-.  iiii\|),  till'  source  of  the  Kio  Duce  (Cliopotii)  1 


U's  at 


iUiimt  tiv  e  Icuyucs  east  uf  Barh.'.cena. 


88 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


rJiialacho*  on  llie  IcCt,  The  wiit(M\s  of  this  rivor  mako  it 
chiiiiiic  its  coui'sc  a  litth'  towai'ds  the  oast,  uiul  both  uiutcd 
Itrccipitatu  tliemsclvos  over  tlui  fall  callctl  Iiii'ci'iio  ;  below 
this  Call  (he  l?io  Docc  takes  the  iiaiiic  it  beais,  and  tlows 
ji'CMlly  on,  I'cccivinu'  on  th(!  riiiht  the  little  I\io  da  C'asca. 
and  on  lli('  left  tin;  Piraeieaba,  and,  six  lea;j'ues  iiirtlun' on, 
it  ])asses  over  I'cefs  l)laekene(l  by  time, —  whence  the  name 
/'Jsciiro  uiveii  to  this  fall.  'J'hree  lea^'nes  lower  down,  on  its 
left,  are  the  n;onths  of  the  rivers  Santa  Antonio  and  Corrcii- 
tes,  at  a  distance  of  eiulit  lea.ti'iies  from  one  aju)ther.t  JJelow 
the  last  of  these  river-months  is  tlu;  Caehoeira  I>a<i'auri/.. 
where  a  j)ointed  rock  divides  the  waters  of  the  Docc,  which 
snbdivide  a^'ain  and  auain  befoi-e  nnitin<2;  anew  in  a  species 
of  basin,  formed,  as  it  ajjpears,  by  several  islets.  This  basin 
extends  for  a  distance  of  two  leagncs,  and,  becanse  of  the 
cnrrent,  nmch  dexterity  in  the  uovcrnnient  of  a  canoe  is  va- 
qnired  to  reach  it.  At  the  end  of  this  series  of  islets  the  \l\o 
Docc  takes  a  more  (jniet  course,  and,  the  mouth  of  the  Sa(;u- 
ln'pO(iueno  i)assed,  it  becomes  once  more  turbulent,  and  i> 
successively  imjieded  by  the  little  Caehoeira  d'llha-lJraba. 
with  that  of  Pi(jueira,  nuich  more  dan<i-erous,  in  the  Serra 
Bcteruna,  ^^here  it  is  necessary  to  transport  the  canoes  liv 
land  a  distance  of  fifteen  hra^cis,  and  with  that  of  the  Ec- 
l)OJo-do-Capim  ;  five  leagues  farther  down  stream  the  \lh 
Sa(;nhi-grande  comes  to  swell  it  on  the  left  with  its  tribiito 
of  waters,  after  having  watered  the  comarca  of  Hcrro  Frio. 
Passing  this  tributary,  the  Rio  Doce  receives  from  dilTereiit 
quarters  an   innumeralde    number   of  limpid   brooks,  and 

*  Aoconlinc:  to  Eschwojre,  quotctl  liy  Gc'rl)i'r,  tlio  Barra  do  Giialacho  is  .'Ul 
mi'tri's  aliovc  the  si'a-k'wl. 

t  On  GitIrt's  iiKii)  ilie  iiioutli  of  the  Corrcntcs  is  only  two  and  a  half  leagues 
below  that  of  the  Santa  Antonio. 


niakos   mi 

li;itc(l   Cdc 
iiuloiided  ; 
i;;io  baran 
wliirh  onip 
\'uv  tlie   d 
\\itli  some 
iKivJLiation 
Tlic>e  dif 
llcliojo  de 
Ini'iiH'S   1V( 
[la^^eil,  the 
[n  the   left 
licil  of  the 
a  eapital  M 
one  league 
inti'i'cept  n 
hind  the  ca 
Caclioeirao 
not  tjangen 
the  K'io  Do' 
canoes  are 
cira  called 
lonued  of 
un  their  b{ 
waters  aboi 
l''."iisto  dc 
(•'■uaiidii), 
limit  to  the 
and  ascend 
r>ctween  tl 
cral  rapids 


rnnvixci-:  of  r.spiniTo  santo. 


89 


iiiakos  ninny  turns  licfore  arriving  at  tlii'  ("all  (lenonii- 
iiati'il  C(U'/i()ririii/i<i,  over  which  canoes  pass  witiioiit  hcing 
uiiloinlcd  ;  still  farther  down  it  rot't'ivoson  itsriuht  the  Uil)e- 
i;;Mi  liiiranjcii'a,  ami  a  little  hcyontl,  to  the  rij:ht,tlK!  Cuiate, 
wliich  empties  into  it,  when  the  main  I'iver  becomes  ma/iestie 
Ini'  the  distance!  of  two  leagues,  lielow  which  various  reel's, 
with  some  Tails  of  little  importance,  and  whirljiools  make 
iiaviLiation  very  dillieult,  'without  entirely  destrdyin^-  it. 
Thoe  dilTei-ent  ohstaides  are  known  under  tlu-  names  of 
llcliiijo  de  Joao  ]'into  and  iiehojo  da  <)m;a,  distant  two 
liiiaues  IVdUi  one  another.  The  second  of  these  obstacles 
|l;l^^('(l,  the  curi'i'nt  Hows  to  the  riLiht  in  the  snnnner,  hut 
tn  tiie  left  in  the  rainy  season.  Half  a  leaizue  onward  the 
lK'ili)fthe  ri\-er  describes  some  diagonal  lines,  which  imitate 
a  caiiital  M, —  the  name  which  is  conunonly  ui\('n  to  it;  antl 
Diie  league  lower  down  various  reefs,  called  the  Cachocirao, 
iiilercept  lunigation,  so  that  it  is  necessary  to  transport  by 
land  the  canoes  and  goods.  Two  leagues  l)elow  the  fall  of 
''ailioeirao  arc  encountered  three  other  whirlpools,  Avhieh  are 
lit  It  dangerous,  and  the  island  of  Natividadc,  which  divides 
the  Rio  Doce  into  two  unequal  arms.  In  the  dry  season  the 
eaiiDcs  are  unloaded  at  this  island  to  jtass  the  great  Caeho- 
cira  called  the  Escadinhas,  because  for  one  league  it  is 
Inniied  of  stej)S  of  stone.  The  canoc-nicn  carry  the  goods 
uii  tlu'ir  backs  as  far  as  Porto  de  Souza  ;  but  when  the 
Maters  abound  the  canoes  descend  without  difiienlty  to  the 
l'"i:ist(>  de  Lorena,  near  the  confluence  of  the  river  Mandii 
Chunidu),  which  comes  from  the  south  and  serves  as  the 
liinit  to  the  provinces  of  !Minas  (Jeraes  and  Esjarito  Santo, 
and  ascend  it  also  with  cargo,  albeit  with  some  dilliculty. 
between  the  mouth  of  the  Mandu  and  Porto  dc  Souza  scv- 
eial  r;ipids  are  encountered,  which  are  descended  with  ease, 


^ 


ito 


GKOLOGY   AND  PHYSICAL  GEOGIJArilY. 


hutwliicli  ciiiiiHit   lie  {isc'onded  except  liy  liiiid  I'Dwinji',  or  \>\ 

towill^'  tlir  cillKtcS." 

'I'lic  IJio  Miiiiliiiiissi'i  is  (jiiito  ncoiisldenililt' little  stniiiii. 
wliich  ciitcis  llic  |)nc('  IVom  the  soiitii,  opiiosilc?  the  ishiinl 
ol'  Xiitividade.  \'('iy  little  is  known  alioiit  it,  as  it  Hows 
tlironi!!!  a  forest  reuion  inhabited  hy  the  l)(;tociidos.  The 
(iiiandu  is,  as  aliove  deserilied,  only  u  litth;  stream,  and  nf 
veiT  litth"  inijiortanee.  'i'he  country  borch'rinu'  the  ri\cr 
near  its  junction  with  the  Doee  is  very  Hat,  with  (hep  allu- 
vial, clayey  soils.  Jt  is  heavily  timbered,  and  alVords  most 
lertil(!  lanils  lor  the  aji'ricnlturist ;  but  the  iJotoendus. 
who  have  been  until  late  years  hostile,  have  ]ii'e\('nted  tlic 
.sueecssl'ul  colonization  of  the  country.  A  little  colony  of  a 
lew  iamilies  has  been  established  on  the  (Juandu,  but  it  was 
not,  at  the  time  ol'  my  visit,  flourishinir. 

The  rocks  exposed  here  in  the  river  channel  arc  i^i-neiss. 
I  observed  some  heavy  veins  of  milky-white  (piartz  nciii' 
tliat  place,  hut  1  had  not  time  to  examine  them.  Opjiositc 
CJuandu,  on  the  noi'th  side  of  the  river,  there  are  8e^•el■al 
(pnte  hiu'h  liiieiss  hills,  and  opjjosite  J'orto  de  Souza  is  a 
ba^e  hill  not  I'ar  from  the  I'iver.  Gerber  has  laid  down  mi 
his  map  a  little  river  enterintr  the  Docc  opimsitcthc  Guandu, 
which  appears  to  be  a  mistake.  At  Porto  do  Soiiza  tlic 
river  va'  '  very  narrow,  and  the  river  was,  at  the  tiair 
of  iv^  I  December,  1805,  not  more  than  2o0  feet  wiii'.' 

Of  .ne  ]K)rt. 

'i ...'  ]tort  is  situated  at  the  foot  of  a  series  of  rapids,  at  tiic 
liead  of  naviuation.  Even  in  the  dry  season  it  would  ln' 
j)0ssible  at  all  times,  I  was  assured,  for  a  small  steamer  to 
reach  it.  (Jneiss  is  exi)osed  in  the  Ix'd  of  the  river  and 
alonu'  tlu!  lianks.  It  is  iiray,  coarse,  and  homogeneous. 
Strike  N.   00'  E.     Dip  4.y  Northeastward.     In  the  rivir- 


li;tiik>  the 
in  Liiaciat 
ly  water 
Siiiids  aiK 
die  <^uari 
tweiily  I'e 
layer  of  1 
(if  sand,  I 
a  t^'iind,  (I 
castni'-bea 
ijuite  lux 
,^anie.* 

pllfJioSCS, 

cultural  p 
e\i'r  it. 

At  the 
sonic  iunn 
wlicn  the 

lc\cl.       I), 

mntiniics 
till'  a   nule 
sccnds, 

111!    biitli  si 

arc  alluvia 
in  licii^ht. 
A  (|uarter 
widciis  to 

*   I  (ilisorv 
iiiiiiiluT-;  of  I!, 

t  Thr  lii, 
my  foiiqianiiii 
-\«"\k<  of  tlif 


rROVINCK   OF   KSriKlTO   SANTO. 


Dl 


iiaiiks  the  suiTiicc  of  the  ^noiss  is  nigged,  mid  not  smooth  us 
ill  'iliiciiitt'il  suri'iia'S,  showing  that  it  luis  liccu  (U'ti'i'mim-il 
l,v  walrr  ;u-tioii.  iVhove  it  an.'  Itcds  of  coarse,  ycllowisli 
sands  ami  (|Uai't/  gravel,  tlie  hitter  often  very  eoarse.  At 
ilic  (^iiartel,  or  narrucks,  these  heds  reach  ii  levi-l  of  ahont, 
twriilv  feet  aliove  that  of  tlie  river.  Al)uve  there  is  a 
lavei-  of  hrown,  elavey  eartli,  Avitii  seareely  any  a(hiii.\tnre 
(if  >aiid,  lint  fill!  of  little  silvery  mica  Hakes.  This  atVords 
a  liiioil,  deep,  f(.'rtile  soil,  siiital)le  for  eofti'e,  corn,  heans, 
ra>tiir-l»eans,  i^'C.,  S:c..  The  forests  of  this  region  are 
ijnite  hixnriant,  and  arc  rich  in  valnahle  woods  and 
L;ani('.'^  All  this  region  is  liiudy  adaptetl  for  agrienltural 
|.iii)i(ises,  and  some  day  nuist  lieeonie  tlu;  home  of  an  agri- 
caltinal  |)o[)ulation  ;  but  the  Indians  have  so  far  held  sway 
(i\i'i'  it. 

At  the  ])ort  the  left-margin  of  the  river  is  occupied  hy 
xmic  iunneiisc  sand-hanks,  covered  during  the  rainy  season, 
wlicii  the  river  rises  some  twenty  feet  ahove  its  oi'dinary 
level.  Hescending  the  river  from  Porto  de  Sonza,  the  river 
(iiiitinucs  very  narrow,  deej),  and  rapid,  with  I'ocky  hanks 
I'mi'  a  mile  or  more,  the  banks  becoming  lower  as  one  de- 
Mcmls.  The  gneiss  is  cx})osed  in  the  bottom  of  the  banks 
on  both  sides  of  the  river,  and  over  this,  as  at  the  Porto, 
WW  alluvial  deposits,  making  the  lianks  eight  to  fifteen  feet 
ill  height.  At  a  distance  from  the  river  are  gneiss  hills. 
A  (|iiart(M-  of  a  mile  below  the  Illia  da  J-^speraiica  the  I'iver 
widens  to  at  least  GUO  feet.     The  Pio  ]\lutum,t  laid  down 

*  I  filisiTvixl  in  tlie  forest  between  Porto  de  Soiiza  ami  GiiAntlii  great 
iiiiiiiln'rs  of  15iirriL;ii(l()  trees  (Boiiihiix),  soiiieof  (•oii>i(ier!ilile  >ize. 

t  '1  lie  liio  Doee  is  very  rie!;  iii  tish,  a  larj^e  eoliectiim  of  wliicli  was  niaile  liy 
my  ((iiiipiinion  iiiid  myself  for  Professor  Apissiz.  I'rinz  Max.  zii  Xeii  AVied 
-IiiuIn^  (if  tlio  iicciirreiice  of  a  sjieeies  of  sa\vti>li  (I'ri-tis  Serra  !)  in  the  lower 
\v;iters  ii<'  the  Doee,  and  says  that  it  enters  the  Lagou  Juparanua.    Mr.  Copeland 


92 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GKOGRAPIIY. 


lllO    DiiClC   AT   rnilTI)    DK   SOC'ZA. 


on  Cicrbcr's  nui])  as  bcinu.'  sonu'  three  or  lour  leaji'ucs  below 
the  Purto,  is  not  more  than  tlirce  miles.  It  is  hut  a  brook; 
but  it  has  a  I'all  near  the  mouth,  and,  being"  in  the  midst  of 
a  very  I'ei'tile  eountry,  may  lie  of  imjK)rtanee  by  and  by  fdi' 
its  ^vater-l»o\ver.  On  the  Mutum  the  land  is  in  some  places 
flat,  and  tliii'ty  to  forty  I'eet  high,  and  may  be  in  part  ter- 
tiary :  ))ut  1  doubt  it.  On  tin  th  side  of  tlie  river  are 
many  forest-clothed  gneiss  hills,  the  most  of  which  raiiiio 
from  ()00  to  700  feet  in  height.  East  of  these,  a  few  miles 
from  the  ^lutum,  and  standing  liack  from  the  Doce,  is  a 
prcnninent  hill  called  the  ^h)ri'o  do  Padre,  the  givater  part 
f)f  which  is  l)are,  and  which  nmst  be  at  least  2,000  feet  in 
height.     On  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  is  the  Morro  do 

and  I  took  sjiociinens  at  or  iienr  tlic  month  of  tlio  Miitwm.  Tlioy  cprtainly  ascind 
to  Toitodi'  Soiiza.  TIicciinoc-iiK'U  said  that  tlu'v  asccinU'd  to  tlic  (Jiiandii.  'IIk' 
tislnTiiifii  all  Slid  tliat  this  lisli  scciiri'd  its  jircv  hy  strikiiiir  a  latiTal  blow  with  it'' 
Ion;;  snout  or  ia^\■.  On  one  of  the  saw-tt'i'lh  of  a  lar;^o  sjiecinu'ii  wi'  took  tlniv 
was  ini|iak'(l  the  lar-jrc,  toiiuh  scale  of  a  etinuiiatri,  which  I'ould  oidy  have  liccii 
])ierccd  hy  a  smart  hlow,  when  attached  to  the  side  of  the  lish.  The  fisliernian 
said  that  n  true  shark,  ctiissno  <h'  dnitis,  was  found  in  the  Doee. 


LaL'c  amoi 
the  little  1 
Iiilb  (iat-t 
slo|ic   tow; 

gll(MS>s  ot 

;'••<•  alhivii 
tills  whole 
gneiss  roc 
never  to  1h 
of  the  riv( 
logical   Tea 
lines  of  tl 
ninch   to 
wlieie  in 
nriant  fore 
lioniid  tog' 
griiwtli   of  I 
iiluc,  and  i 
the  liver,  f 
dense  wall 
|ienetrato  i 
strong  woe 
In  these 
iniinn  J],as 
bat,  liaviuL 
niet  with  0 
the  stream 
has  Ix'eii   l 
line  (jualit; 
ing  a  valui 

*  Tti::ht  ha 
N.  8U0  K.     Ij 


PROVINCE   OF   KSrilUTO   SANTO. 


03 


Livjo  nmonii:  unoiss  liills.*  Lcavinii:  the  ji'iiciss  lulls  hclow 
tin  little  river  SHo  -Joao,  the  laiul  hceonies  lower,  and  the 
liill.-  flat-topped,  or  with  flat  outlines,  and  a  rather  gentle 
sl()|ie  toward  the  river.  Some  of  the  hills  ajijjear  to  he 
iiiiciss,  others  tertiary.  The  low  lands  bordering  the  river 
;<r,'  alluvial.  So  cxecedingly  dense  is  the  forest  covering 
this  whole  v  ountry,  that,  cxe(>i)t  it  be  oeeasionally  a  bare 
;iii('iss  rock  by  the  river-side,  a  bare  gneiss  hill  which  is 
iiivcr  to  bcmistaken,or  the  exposures  of  the  alluvial  deposits 
of  the  river,  there  is  no  guide  for  the  working  out  of  geo- 
logical features  other  than  the  general  topographical  out- 
iiiics  of  the  country.  The  clothing  of  forest  tends  very 
much  to  exaggerate  the  height  of  the  lower  lands.  No- 
where in  J>razil,not  even  at  I*arii,  have  I  seen  a  more  lux- 
uiiaut  forest  growth  than  that  of  the  Doce.  I'lic  ti'ces,  all 
lioinul  toiiether  l)v  Uianas,  and  filled  in  with  a  dense  under- 
iirowth  of  i)alms  and  shrubs,  crowd  down  to  the  water's 
ciliiv,  and  sti-etch  their  great  vine-drai)ed  branches  out  over 
the  liver,  as  if  in  want  of  light  and  air.  The  foi'est  forms  a 
druse  wall  alony:  the  river,  —  so  dense  that  the  eve  does  not 
|ii'Ui'tratc  into  its  shade,  —  and  one  must  be  armed  with  a 
stioug  wood-knife  who  woidd  enter  it. 

Ill  these  forests  flourishes  the  Jacaranda,  or  rosewood  (/)/!,'•- 
iiiiiiKi  Jj,asilian(i  Lam.),  which  once  abounded  along  the  river, 
Ijut,  having  been  extensively  cut  for  cxjiortation,  is  now  to  bo 
met  with  of  suOieient  size  for  cutting  only  at  a  distance  from 
the  stream.  The  princiiial  article  of  export  from  the  Doce 
has  hern  roscAvood,  which  has  the  re])utation  of  l)eing  of  a 
fine  (jiiality.  The  Cuphiba  (^Copaifcra  ojficitialis'),  furnish- 
ing a  valuable  wood  and  an  abundant  oil  used  in  medicine 


*  T{i::lit  bank  opposite  Ilhti  do  Lng:e.      Gneiss  bands  very  siliceous.     Strike 
N.  8U0  E.     lUp  iiortlnvanl  jO°. 


94 


GKOLOGY    AXI)   I'lIYSICAL    GEOGRAPIIY. 


niid  i\\o  arts,  uboiiiuls  lioro,  tog-ctlier  witli  the  Piio  Brazil 
(  ('rr:s(i/pinia  crhindld  V\\  All.),  noted  for  its  once  cosily 
lint  :  llic  Sapucaia  (Lcc////iis),  fnrnisliing  food  to  the  Bolo- 
cn(h>s  ;  the  ('(m1i-o  (^Ccdrela)^  Ip(3  (^Tccom(i)^V(io  d'Areo 
(^B'm:nonut)^  ]\'i-ol)a  (^Jhpidospc nnum^ ,  Pntunniju  (^Puln- 
Diiiju).  \'inhati('o  (^AcacuL),  and  species  of  Genipa^  Mdcha:- 
ruDi,  Iiign,  Boirdildiia,  A'c.,  abound.  The  names  of  llie 
trees  furnishing  valiiahle  woods  for  construction  and  cal)inet- 
Avork,  many  of  great  beauty  and  dm  ability,  are  legion,  ainl 
when  the  country  becomes  inhabited,  these  must  become 
r  sour(,'C  of  wealth. 

►  ■Several  si)eeies  of  ])alms,  among  tlicm  the  Airi  (J.v//-o- 
carj/um^  and  Palmetto  {Euterpe^,  flourish  in  the  forest, 
while  the  Embaiiba  (  ''crojfla^,  the  food  of  the  sloth,  with 
the  Ubiis  and  rTcJiconias,  form  one  of  the  marked  featuros 
of  the  vetretation  of  the  river-banks.* 

Game  is  exceedingly  abundant,  among  which  may  lie 
mentioned  the  Anta  {  Tap i ru,'^  Ameriaums),  \y]iOi^c  tracks, 
together  with  those  of  the  Capabara  {Hi/(/roch(cnis  Cajxi- 
bar(i)^  are  everywhere  seen  by  the  river  margins.  The  Paea 
(^Ca'hi^cii//s  Para)  and  Cutia  {Ddsi/procta)  are  very  com- 
mon, and  are  valued  for  food.  There  arc,  at  .oast,  two  s]»c- 
cies  of  sloth  found  here,  —  Brndi/pns  truladijlus  and  B.  inr- 
quatus,  —  together  with  s])ecies  of  opossum  {Di(feJjdi//s)  nml 
Cuati  {Xasua).  Armadillos  (^Das//pus^  aliomul  as  else- 
where, and  I  have  seen  at  least  two  sjjecies.  Wild  piiis 
Caititiis  and  Queixadas  {Dicuti/lcs),  arc  found  in  herds  in 

*  Prince  Max.  zii  Ni'U  Wioil  ;;ivc'.s  a  ])l.atc  rpprosontinq:  a  view  on  tlie  Ri'i 
Docc.  It  was  oviilcntly  not  'irawn  from  nature,  hut  it  ^nves  (|iiite  a  ;:oci(l  iili';i 
of  the  shore  ve;.'etati(in.  An  innnense  ailiuator  is  represented  in  tlie  f()re;:niuiul. 
One  may  spcnil  a  nxaitli  on  the  Doce  and  not  sec  a  single  alligator,  and  tlio-o 
of  the  Doee  are  verv  small. 


I  i'-«p- 


1 

1,  If 

1 

i  '■ 


n 


:  1  i  m 

uilliilij! JiiiiiilJiilliwIii.!^ 


lillt:'!!!!?'  i:iiil.i'.  iliijij,)!! 


J0 


t]l(^  foi'ost, 
/w7/x  (jc'Cii 
iitiifroiird, 
may  lio  oi 
ijot  uncoi 
nioiikcys  1 
n'/.'s  ursii 
(  Ilnpidr) 

Liiili.),  ^ 
ami  other 
'J'he  riv 
iiiiii'li,  aiK 
nc'casioual 
stii'telR'S  < 
vaiiia  is 
iiortlioni  1 
tlio  l•i^■or, 
.Maria,  aii< 
Here,  not 
colony,  inu 
jToved  a  li 
ant  second 

*  The  liisto 
ttoii  or  more  ; 
I'lHc,  iind  at 
Milis  for  siiwi 
ul)!i.'  aiiioiuit  0 
at  the  I'livoari 
I5m  Dr.  Lfitc' 
tlie  colmiists, 
tnnililesoiiK!  lu 
years  tlie  Boi 
Iiro:lii'r-in-la\v, 
iitteiiii.t  to  sett 


rnOVINCE  OF  espirito  saxto. 


do 


tlic  forest,  and  arc  hunted  for  food.  At  least  four  species  of 
/•V//.S' occur  here, —  Frit's  Oiigd,  F.  concolor,  F.  /xirdalis,  F. 
hiiifrourd,  —  together  with  the  fierce  l)hick  jauuar,  which 
iiiiiv  he  only  a  variety.  One  or  two  spei-ies  of  Ccrciis  arc 
nut  Huconnnon,  toii'ctlier  with  liares  and  s(|uirrels.  Of 
iiiDiikcys  there  are  tlic  following":  Adlcs  hi/poxdnllius^  Mi/- 
(■'■/. 's  ursinus,  species  of  Ccbiis  and  Cdllithri.r,  and  Jticc/nis 
(lldimir)  Iciicoc('p/in/i(s.  Jacujienihas  {  Fct/i'/o/ic  nuirail 
r.iiiii.),  Mutuns  {Cr(t.r'),  Araras  {PsitlacKS  macoa  Linn.) 
and  other  parrots,  arc  very  al)undant. 

'J'iic  river,  after  leaving-  the  gneiss  lands,  widens  very 
iiiii<'h,  and  is  in  some  places  800  to  1,0<H)  Ibct  wide, 
(icca^fionally  diversified  by  wooded  island-,  and  alTording 
sti'ctchcs  of  river  scenery  of  very  great  hemily,  Francyl- 
vania  is  the  name  of  a  settlci'ient  escahlished  on  tlie 
iiurtliern  haidc  of  the  Docc,  at  a  short  distance  l)aclv  from 
the  river,  opposite  the  mouth  of  tlie  little  river  Santa 
)hu'ia,  and  not  far  above  the  mouth  of  tlie  liio  Panca. 
Here,  not  many  years  ago,  was  estal)lished  a  Brazilian 
colony,  under  the  direction  of  one  Dr.  Fran(;a  Leitc,*  which 
]inived  a  failure  ;  its  site  being  now  marked  oidy  by  a  luxuri- 
ant second  growth  (^capocira'),  which  on  the  Brazilian  coast 

*  The  liistory  of  this  colony  is  hriofly  as  follows  :  Dr.  Friiii'.'ii  Leitc,  sonic  fif- 
tmi  ornidiv  ycar>  nuo,  coiK'civc(l  tlic  idea  of  cstalijisliiiiy'  a  colony  uii  the  Hio 
I'liic,  aail  at  Francylvania,  aided  hy  government,  he  fcirnicd  a  settlement. 
Milis  for  sawinj;  liimluT  and  frrindini:  manilioca  were  erected,  and  a  consider- 
able amount  of  urouiid  was  ]nit  nnder  cultivation.  ]']sta!)ii>iinients  were  opened 
at  till'  I'nvoai.ao,  at  Monserras,  and  IpyrauL'a,  where  many  cattle  were  raised. 
r>iu  Dr.  Leite's  plan  proved  visionary.  He  failed  to  ^ret  the  aid  he  demanded  ; 
the  colonists,  dissatisfied,  iind  harassed  hy  tho  Hotocndos,  who  were  very 
tnuililesDnie  nciuhhors,  hcfiaii  to  withdraw,  and  after  nn  existence  of  some  three 
year<,  the  liotocudos  )>ut  an  end  to  this  colony  by  killini.'-  ICrvalina,  Leite's 
hroiliiT-in-law.and  a  slave,  and  burning  the  settlement  ;  and  thus  failed  another 
attenii.t  to  settle  the  Docc. 


OG 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GKOGRAPIIV. 


ra])i(lly  sjiriiiL^s  u])  on  ahandoiiod  lands.  Tlio  soils  in  tlio 
vicinity  of  Frant-ylvania  arc  of  thn  most  ])r(>(liu,'tiv('  kind, 
and  tlic  locality  ^vas  wisely  chosen  lor  the  establishment  of 
a  colony. 

Descending'  from  Francylvania  to  the  hills  of  J-^anta  An- 
tonio, the  lands  bordering  the  river  arc  still  lower,  and  tlir 
hills  have  long,  g(>ntlc  slopes,  lint  no  rocks  arc  seen,  exccjit 
gneiss,  on  the  l)orders  of  the  river.  'J'hc  islands  all  consist 
of  sand,  overlaid  by  a  thick  bed  of  broMii  soil,  Alhivi;il 
lands  of  the  same  character  occur  on  l>oth  sides  of  the  river, 
forming  irregular  stri])s.  These  lands,  whiidi  are  liable  tn 
be  overflowed  during  the  cnr/wHlc,  arc  of  the  highest  feitil- 
ity,  and  are  es])ecially  })ro])er  for  the  culture  of  sugar-cane. 

A  few  leagues  soutli  of  Francylvania  the  river  passes 
through  a  region  diversified  l)y  hills  of  gneiss  several  liiiii- 
dred  i'eet  high.  On  the  south  side  of  the  river  the  western- 
most of  these  hills  form  a  range  which,  under  the  luune  of 
the  Serra  de  Sant'  Antonio,  is  seen  stretching  off  south- 
ward, tying  in  with  the  coast  mountains  of  Santa  Cruz  and 
Nova  Almeida.  In  this  licit  of  country  are  many  lagnas. 
some  of  them  of  considerable  size.  Among  these  may  lie 
mentioned  the  Lagoa  Sant'  Antonio  do  Noi'tc,  on  the  noitli 
side,  and  the  Lagoas  Pao  Oigantc  and  Limao,  on  the  south. 
all  of  Avhich  connnunicate  Avitli  the  river  by  small,  bhuk- 
water  streams.  These  lakes  and  streams  have  been  very 
incorrectly  laid  down  on  the  maps,  owing  to  the  fact  that  no 
trustworthy  survey  of  the  river  has  ever  been  jiublishcd.* 
A  ['vw  miles  farther  east,  and  opjiosite  the  Barra  do  Rio 
Limiio,  is  a  range  of  high  hills,  which  stretches  off  as  fains 

*  I  am  iiifornicd  tliat  tlie  river  was  surveyed  ami  inajiiieil  for  the  EiiL'li-li 
Comjiany  nf  tlie  Doee  by  Mr.  Fred,  Wilner,  Ijut  I  am  not  aware  tliat  tlio  nuip 
was  ever  jjiilili-hed. 


line  can  s 
iiilly  coui 
luHs.  in  a 
(.•a>h'rn    s! 


' 

I'lHsing  til 

ly  islands, 

Thi'  lands 

■ 

iiii'ir  riflin 

fiii'cst  grow 

hy  a  tazent 

!: 

I'littcrs.     ( 

': 

least   half 

'A 

\v!iil(!   it   is 
rnrlim/r,  a 

t'l  Linhare 

!  ^          f-- 

'111  the   soi 

-               ,V 

■  ■  '4s 

wjieiv  in   1 

vegetation. 

i>h.  clayey 

riiOVINCE    UF    KSriKITO    SANTO. 


97 


Diif  I'iui  sec  fVoin  the  river  towards  tlie  northeast.  This 
liilly  country  ends  on  the  river,  Just  to  the  east  of  these 
liills.  in  a  sharp  I'idgi-  about  a  mile  lon,ii',  esear|ie(l  on  the 
i'a>icrn   side,  and    known    us   the    Morro    da   Terra   Alta. 


LOOKIXf.    VV   THE   POCE    FROM    NKAK   UNIIAIIKS 

Passing:  tlu-ouuh  this  country  tlie  river  is  niueli  diversified 
ly  islands,  and  is  in  sonic  j)hiccs  more  than  1,000  leet  wide. 
Till'  lauds  liere  vary  nuudi  in  cluiractcr,  and  are  noted  l\iv 
tlirii'  ii(  luiess.  Over  the  whole  cpnntry  spreads  the  heaviest 
fiiivst  ,u-rowtli,  l)ut  at  the  time  of  my  visit  it  was  unhrokcn 
lyu  I'azenda,  and  in  the  hands  of  the  Indians  ami  rosewood- 
(iittrrs.  Dn  leaving  the  hills  the  i-iver  soon  widens  to  at 
k'asl  half  a  mile,  ami  is  full  of  beautiful  wooded  islands, 
while  it  is  bordered  l»y  alluvial  lands  Avhieh,  during-  the 
rmlini/r,  are  liable  to  be  overflowed.  These  lands  extend 
tn  Linhares.  About  two  leajrues  al)ove  this  town  there  arc, 
"II  the  southern  bank,  a  few  clcarin<is.  I  tliink  that  no- 
wluTf  in  Brazil  have  I  ever  seen  so  rank  and  luxuriant  a 
v(.'<rctation.  These  lands  are  covered  with  the  same  l)rown- 
i>h,  clayey  soil  wc  have  observed  farther  up  the  river. 
5  o 


Jf 


08 


GEOLOGY   AND   IMIYSICAL   GKOGRArilY. 


Tliis  soil,  which  in  calh'il  vnifnpc,  or  massnpr,  is  louiul  du 
ill!  the  alhiviiil  hinds  hordcriiiu'  the  ri\('rs  on  the  Ih'ii/.iliun 
const,  iind  is  noted  loi-  its  nrcat  )»rotlncti\cn('ss. 

On  the  Hio  Docc  those  niassiipe  lands  which  nro  of  siidl- 
cicnt  liciuht  to  cscajK;  the  clfocts  of  the  ntcltiiilc  may  lir 
ns(Ml  I'ni-  the  cultivati(tn  of  almost  any  oi"  the  |)i'o(hicts  of  the 
conntiy,  —  snch  as  sn^'ar-cane,  tol)acco,  cotli.'e,  cotton,  nuiii- 
dioca,  A'c,  —  hnt  a  large  i»art  is  likely  to  he  snhmei'iivil 
c\(M'y  yeai'  Ashen  the  river  is  full.  The  annual  omt- 
flow  lieu'ins  in  l)eceml)er  with  tlie  daily  thnndei'-stonus. 
and  lasts  usually  nntil  March.  During'  its  jircvaienci;  the 
I'iver  margins  are  overflowed  for  a  greater  or  less  length  of 
time,  the  freshets  of  March  often  heing  as  high  as  those  df 
Decemher.  In  the  vear  l8o-5  occurred  an  extraordinarih- 
heavy  freshet,  since  when  nothing  like  it  has  been  known. 
The  water  of  the  river,  even  in  the  (hy  season,  is  very 
tnrhid  Avith  sediment,  and  of  a  light  ycllowish-hrown  coldr. 
During  the  cuc/ioifr  it  l)ecomes  very  much  more  tni'l)id,  ami 
a  thin  deposit  of  nuid  is  thrown  down  over  the  flat  lands 
every  yeai".  On  the  suhsidencc  of  the  waters,  the  vegetatiim 
left  decaying  over  the  wet  country  is  apt  to  ])reed  fevei's.aml 
the  Rio  Docc  has  had  a  very  had  reputation  for  lieing  veiv 
unhealthy.  It  certainly  is  feverish,  hut  I  could  not  Icmii 
that  it  was  anv  worse  than  Sao  Matheos,  or  even  so  iiail. 
My  companion  and  T  suffered  nothing  from  oiu"  visit.  Tli^' 
river  Avatcrs  arc  had,  hut  if  allowed  to  deposit  their  scili- 
ment,  and  stand  some  time,  become  very  potable  and  sale. 
The  climate  of  the  Doce  is  warm  and  very  damp,  and  it  is 
uiton  the  distribution  of  rain  throutihont  the  entire  vear  that 

1  (  V 

the  luxuriance  of  the  vegetation  seems  to  dejieud.  The  cli- 
mate is  damjier  than  at  ^'ictoria  or  .Sao  Matheos.  Cuni'- 
secca,  or  dried  salted  beef,  which  keeps  well  elsewhere,  soon 
spoils  here  in  certain  seasons  of  the  year. 


The  mi 
;il'('   used 
CdlllltlT,  ( 

the  main 
liii'c,  is 
till'''  is  coi 
are  espcci 
lli»t  ipjui'i' 
rice.  baii;i 

ill  .Milieu 
Lands  ol 
ivi:iuii      is 

TIk'iv  can 
and  the  ti 
healthy. 

Ijiiihare 
hliifi'  fornu 
liivat  terti; 
1  I't'iiU'inlK 
el'  white  a 
llicsc  clayf 
tlif  iKii'the 
ward  to  Sj 
raiiaa,*  wl 
this  fiirnia 
miles  to  tl 
wiih  the  I 
hnt  deep  el 

the  lew  We 

"haiinel  is 

*  Tlu'wurd 
•'  ^oa." 


iiMMriPW** 


rROVIN'CE   OF   KSriUITO   SANTO. 


•)•) 


Tlio  mnssap<!  ji;rouii(l.s  whicli  iii-c  lialilo  to  1)0  ()verlli)\s(Ml 
ai'c  \ist'il  lor  the  culture  of  almost  all  the  }tru(lu(.'ts  of  the 
( I, iiiitiy,  except  inandioea,  cottcju,  and  culTee.  'J'he  root  of 
tlic  luamlioca  requiring  more  than  one  reason  to  ina- 
liiiv,  is  likely  to  he  injured  ly  a  freshet,  so  that  its  cid- 
tui''  isconfnied  to  the  hij^'her  ^'rounds.  ^J'hese  niassape  lands 
;nv  ('s|K'cially  <i'ood  for  sugar-cane,  ^vhi(•h,  as  at  Campos,  is 
III  it  ipjun.'d  hy  an  overilow,  and  also  for  heans,  Indian  corn. 
liic.  liananas,  A-e.  The  corn  and  heans  are  jjlanted  usually 
ill  March  or  April,  so  as  to  heconie  ripe  hcfore  the  mchnitc. 
Lands  of  this  character  are  very  extensive,  and  the  J)oce 
ivi:i(m  is  adajjted  io  sustain  a  very  large  poi»ulation. 
Tlii'ic  can  lie  no  douht  that  with  th(?  clearing  of  the  foi'csts 
ami  the  tilling  of  the  ground  the  region  would  liecome  nioi'e 
healthy. 

Linharcs  is  laiilt  on  the  left  hank  of  the  river,  on  the  top  of  a 
Muff  formed  liy  the  jirojection  sonthward  of  a  jioint  fi'om  the 
^!ivat  tertiary  ])lain  lying  north  of  the  Doce.  The  liluff  is.  if 
1  iciiuinlicr  rightly,  about  eighty  feet  high,  and  exposes  heds 
(if  while  and  red  clavs  of  the  ordinarv  tvpe.  On  tin.'  Doce 
these  clays  occupy  near  Linharcs  only  a  small  extension  on 
the  northern  bank.  Theii-  boundarv  line  trends  ot"f  north- 
^\al■(l  to  Siio  ^latheosand  nortlnvcstward  to  the  Lagoa  Jiipa- 
raiiaa,*  which  is  held  in  a  basin  scoojied  out  of  the  beds  of 
this  fiiiination.  The  lagoa  lies  at  a  distance  of  about  two 
mih's  to  the  north-northwest  of  Linharcs,  and  connnunicates 
with  the  Doce  at  Linharcs  by  a  very  narrow  and  tortuous, 
hut  deep  channel,  called  the  Rio  Juparaiula,  which  flows  o\  cr 
the  hiw  wooded  ground  close  to  the  edge  of  the  bluffs.  This 
"haiuicl  is  about  fifty  feet  wide,  and,  according  to   Senhor 


Till' word  "  Juparanaa,"  according  to  Prinz  Ncu  Wicd,  is  Tiijii,  and  means 


;fU. 


100 


GKOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GKOORAniY. 


Raf!ht'l  p.  do  Carvallu),  furnislios  at  all  times  at  least  finii' 
to  live  I'eet  of  water,  wliieli  would  be  sulVicieiit  for  a  litilr 
steamer.  It  is  exceed iii<^ly  tortuous,  but  it  would  l)e  a  vciy 
easy  matter  to  cut  olf  some  of  the  beuds,  aud  thus  shorten 
very  uuieh  the  distance  between  the  Doce  and  the  lake;. 

At  the  foot  of  the  lake  the  river  is  bordered  on  the  wcsi 
side  by  a  luirrow  strip  of  low  jj^round,  north  of  which  ilir 
tertiary  blulTs  begin  ;  and,  witli  the  exception  (;f  this  little 
stretch  of  alluvial  land,  and  of  a  similar  stretch  at  the  luail 
of  the  lake,  the  lake  is  bordered  by  the  blulTs.  Freireiss* 
gives  the  length  of  the  lake  as  seven  leagues,  width  half  a 
leiigue,  and  circumference  sixteen  to  eighteen  leagues.  Tlic 
Diccionario  Gcos^rafico  {vide  Avt.  Jttpara nan},  which  is  hcie 
manifestly  iiuiccuratc,  gives  the  circumference  as  only  fiw 
leagues.  According  to  my  estinuitc,  and  the  information 
of  Senlior  Raflael,  it  must  Ije  at  least  twenty  miles  long  ami 
in  some  places  four  miles  wide.  It  is  very  deep,  and  in 
some  }>laces,  according  to  F"eireiss,  the  depth  is  at  Imst 
eight  to  twelve  klafter  (fathoms).  The  water  of  the  lake 
and  river  is  of  a  light  milky  color.  The  banks  of  the  lake  are 
eighty  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  high,  as  near  as  I  coiiM 
judge,  the  height  being  greater  at  the  head  of  the  lake. 
Along  the  eastern  side,  between  the  foot  and  the  Fazenda  do 
Guaxe,  white  and  pink  clays  arc  exposed  in  the  bhirt^>i. 
and  in  many  places  the  coarse  red  sandstone  of  the  tertiaiv 
crops  out  at  water-level  or  thereabouts.  About  a  mile  niiilli 
of  Guaxe,  on  the  east  shore  of  the  lake,  and  oj)positc  a  very 
small  island  of  gneiss,  a  point  called  the  Ponta  do  Oiuo.  ;i 
quarter  of  a  mile  long,  juts  out  into  the  lake.  This  point  is 
about  fifty  feet  in  height,  and  forms  on  the  southern  side  a 
luie  of  i)icturesquc  clififs.     The  strata  composing  this  point 

*  Quoted  by  Neu  Wied,  Reise  nach  Drasilien,  Vol.  I.  p.  214. 


a  IT  jicrfec 
s|iailiic  cl 

iillt    i'oV    tl 
angular, 
iiiatrrials 
Avitli  no  ( 
.xaiidy.     '[ 
tiiliiit('(i    t 
iiiciitiug    1 
like  uiass( 
Vidliiw. 
winch  occi 
rasi-    the 
Mulls  are 
Small  Ian 
little  la/.en 
\ciT  al'-.iu 
hap'ia  .J  11] 
Ininnl    her 
(hjirrssd  a 
s|ic'(.'ies  of 
used  for  Hk 
li;>lit'i'inan'; 

At  tlie 
till-  Sao  [\\\ 
ii'itiu'udos, 
re|iresents 
n<>  siudi  ri) 
niaji.  is  too 
"nly  a  rock 

*  Scniior  i;.. 
'"'ill  in  ti-li,  1,11 


PROVINCE   OF   ESPIRITO   SANTO. 


101 


flit'  perfectly  horizontal,  and  consist  of  awliite  or  pink  Irld- 
s|i;iihic  clay,  in  some  localities  ^\  ith  no  admixtnre  of  sand, 
i,ul  i'nv  the  most  part  with  a  large  percentage  of  coarse, 
aiiiiiilar,  or  slightly  I'onnded  sand  and  gravel,  tiieso 
iii;itiiials  lieing  scattered  through  the  mass  appai'enlly 
\\\\\\  no  order  whatever.  '!I'he  lo\v(!st  heds  are  tlic  most 
Miiiilv.  The  red  color  is  due  to  ferric  oxide,  which  is  dis- 
tiiliiiU'tl  through  the  mass  very  unefjually,  sometimes  ce- 
inriiting  together  portions  of  the  heds  into  stalagmite- 
like  masses  jjcnetrating  the  clays.  The  tint  is  sometimes 
vcllnw.  Under  the  clays  is  the  coarse  red  sandstone 
wliiili  occurs  in  very  solid  and  compact  masses,  in  whirh 
casr  tlie  rock  is  regularly  and  evenly  ccmcnteil.  The 
iiliitfs  are  steep  and  wooded,  as  also  is  the  plain  ahove. 
Small  farms  arc  located  along  the  lake,  with  an  occasional 
little  fiizenda.  The  slopes  of  the  hluffs  are  found  to  yidil 
\eiT  al /.mdantly,  and  to  produce  excellent  coflee.  The 
LaL!na  .Ju})aram"ia  is,  like  the  Docc,  very  full  of  llsh.  I 
fiiiiiKl  here  two  sj)ccics  of  Cagados,  prohahly  the  Emi/s 
il'pnssd  and  Emijs  radiolatd  of  Max.  zu  Neu  Wied.  A 
>|ii'eies  of  Unio  is  ahundant  in  the  lake,  and  is  said  to  l>e 
iise'l  for  food.  I  saw  heaps  of  the  shells  Ivintr  in  front  of  a 
ti-lieinian's  hut,  hut  the  animal  may  have  heen  nsc(l  for  l»ait. 
At  the  head  of  the  lake  there  enters  a  little  river  lalled 
tlie  Sao  Raffael.  It  rises  in  the  forest,  in  the  country  of  the 
JJutoeudos,  and  has  never  licen  explored.*  Gerher's  map 
represents  a  Rio  Preto  as  llowing  into  the  Jnparanaa,  hut 
no  such  river  exists.  The  lake  also,  as  laid  down  on  his 
aiap.  is  too  small,  and  the  island  is  too  largo.  It  is  i-eally 
"uly  a  rock.     The  head  of  the  lake  cannot  he  distant  from 


*  Sciilior  Haffacl  says  that  above  it  dividos  into  tliroc  liranchcs,  and  that  it  is 
riili  in  ti^ii,  but  that  it  fontiiiiitj  uo  surubinis  (Phti/stoma). 


102 


GKOLOCY   AND   I'lIYSICAL   (iKOlillArilV. 


iiliiiilalioli 


I.AC.oA    .IIPAHA.NAA,    I.(I()KIN(.    TOWAKDS   TIIK   OL'TMT. 

the  <'ity  (»t'S;T(»  Miithcos,  iu'cordiim'  to  the  licst  iiitnnimtinii  I 
li;i\i'  rcccixcd,  more  lliaii  lln'fc  lo  roiii-  Icaiiucs.  'J'lic  li;ir 
(>r  tlir  Docc  is  so  l)iiil  as  ])fiu'ti('iilly  to  I'oiliid  tlic  cnliy  df 
vessels,  iiltlioiii:li  tliey  sonietiiues  ei'oss  it;  liiit  the  I'ivei'  i> 
iiiivlLialtle  for  a  little  steamer,  diiriiiu'  tlie  whole  year,  IVnm 
its  mouth  to  Poi'to  de  Sou/a,  a  distance  ol"  ninety  miles:  m» 
also  is  Lalce  dnparanaa.  Cntil  a  raili'oad  is  huilt  to  \"u'- 
toiia  it  would  seem  host  to  construct  a  liood  ■wauon-rninl 
thnmuii  the  forest,  from  the  head  of  lake  dujtaranaa,  o\ci' 
the  plain,  to  Sao  ]\Iatheos,  and  make  Sao  ]\Iatheos  tin' 
|M)rt  of  the  Docc;  hut  Sa'o  ]\Iatheos  can  never  offer  tin' 
same  advanta.ii'cs  as  a  poi't  that  A'ietoria  does. 

The  lands  surronnding'  the  lake  are  jilains  covered  liy 
forest.  l)ut  owintr  to  the  dryness  and  little  fertility  of  tin' 
soil.it  is  not  very  luxuriant.  The  soils  of  those  high  lands, 
however.  \ary  very  much  in  quality,  in  some  localities  htiiii; 
exc(dlent  foi'  cotton,  mandioca,  A'C,  in  others  sandy  ami 
harren.  Kosewood  ahounds  in  these  forests,  and  is  ([uifi' 
extensivelv  cut. 


PROVINCK    OV   KSl'lIiliO   SANTO. 


lo:} 


T!if  liii:ln'r  Imids  near  liiiiliiircs  ;i|t|M'ar  lo  In'  rri'tilc,  mid 
1  lia\('  iiiiwlirrc  seen  moi'c  vigorous  and  liixiii'iaiit  (•ro|)s 
III'  sii;^ai'-caii"',  Itaiiaiias,  Ai;.,  than  1  saw  ,L;ri>\\  iip^'  on  the; 
jilaiilalion  of  Scnlior  Alfxaudi'e,  l»y  llic  i'i\('r->ii|t',  just 
IkImw  the  lowii,  anil  situatrd  on  alln\i..l  ,:^roinids.  'I'lic 
ri\ri'  lirrt'  appuai's  to  he  hordcird  \)\  iliicc  terraces,  Iml  1 
had  nil  time  to  exaniiin.'  them  closely. 

I.\iiii:'  almost  pai'allel  with  the  I'ivei-,  and  to  the  noi'theast 
n{'  Linliaies,  is  ii  very  heantil'nl,  narrow  hiLioon.  which  looks 
like  an  old  I'iver  valley,  and  is  called  the  Lai^ria  do  A\  i>o. 
It  is  said  to  empty  into  the  l)oc(,'  to  the  east  of  Jiinhares. 
Thcic  are  other  lakes  in  the  vicinity. 


LAOoA    DO   AVISO. 


Finn'  Linharos  tlio  river  rnns  oil' in  a  southeasterly  direc- 
ti'Hi  to  llie  sea.  The  stream  is  wide  ami  interspersed 
with  iiKiny  islands.  The  shores  are  low,  loie>-l-clotli(M|.  aud 
ovi'iflowed  during-  the  annual  lr(\sbet.  At  the  moiiih  the 
nvoi' widens  very  much  and  enters  the  sea  oliliipiely.  IVoni 
I"  hind  a  long  sand-spit  which  extends  si^ithward  from  the 
li'lt  hauk.     The  river  just  inside  the  mouth  forms  a  line  sheet 


104 


GKOLOGY  AND   PHYSICAL    GEOGRAPHY. 


of  water,  liut  it  is  very  sluxllow,  tlic  bottom  boiiig  sliirtiiiu'. 
so  that  the  s(»iiii(liii,<:s  vai'V  with  the  ([Uiintity  ot"  waicr  in 
the  river.  So  great  is  (Ik;  aiuoimt  ol"  water,  and  so  si.il. 
low  is  the  river,  that  the  tide  is  not  felt  inside  the  mouth, 
and  the  water  is  always  fresh.  (Jreat  numbers  of  (hilt 
trees  are  brought  down  during  the  freshets,  aiul  the  sca- 
bcaehes  of  the  vieiuity  are  stiewn  with  them.  The 
mouth  is  wide,  shallow,  and  obstructed  by  ;i  bar,  on  whidi 
the  waves  break  fearfully.  Jt  is  always  dilheult,  and 
sometimes  for  weeks  together  impossible,  to  enter  the 
Doec,  and  very  numy  vessids  have  been  lost  in  the  attemjit,* 


Just  northeast  of  the   bar  are  extensi\e  liaiil 


KS. 


^\ 


hiel 


I  ex- 


tend two  or  three  miles  out  to  sea.  There  is  a  litllc 
luunlet  on  the  right  bank  of  the  river,  near  its  mouth, 
and  a  short  distance  above,  on  the  left  haul.,  is  a  small  set- 
tlement called  the  Povoa(;ao.  The  lands  hero  are  samly. 
l>ut  they  are,  for  such  soils,  (|uite  fertile,  j)rodueing  niaii- 
dioca,  cotton,  niamoua.  sugar-cane,  etc.  The  coast  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Doce  projects  consi<lerably  to  the  eastward, 
and  there  is  usually  a  strong  current  near  the  shore,  de- 
pending for  its  dii-ection  ujton  the  wind. 

^lauy  years  ago  an  p]uglish  company  was  formed  to  o]>oii 
the  river  Doce  as  a  highway  for  navigation  into  ]\Iinas,  but, 
fi'oin  the  above  description  oi'the  ri\('r,  any  one  can  see  Imw 
unfd  it  is  for  navigation  above  the  falls.  The  enterprise  of 
eoui'se  jiroved  a  failure,  and  a  cin-se  luis  undeservedly  fallen 
on  the  I)oee.  At  ])resent  a  very  small  connuei'ce  in  salt  is 
carried  on   between  the  coast  and  vai'ious  points  along  tlir 


It  Ii 


river,  the   salt  lienuj,'  trans 


■;i)ort(Ml 


ni  canoes. 


'J'l 


i(!  loiu'ncv 


from  the    sea  to    Correntes,  a  town   situate(l  on  the  river 
of  the   same    name,  an  allhient  of   the   Doce,   a  distaaci' 


Tlic  totisiiiig  stc'uuiors  occasioiuilly  I'lUcr  the  Doce. 


rROVIN'CE   OF   ESriRITO   SANTO. 


lo.j 


•y 
.;:« 


ill  ;ill  of  about  two  liundrcd  inilos,  consumes  over  forty 
(hivs.  From  the  Barra  to  Porto  do  Souza  the  ioiirnev 
is  easily  performed  ;  but  above  that  point  the  eanoes 
must  lie  towed  and  poled  with  the  greatest  dlHieulty, 
and  iit  veiy  short  intervals  the  load  has  to  be  removed, 
so  as  to  allow  the  eni})ty  eanoc  to  jiass  a  waterfall. 
(til  the  eoast  a  bag  of  salt  of  aVtout  sixty  jioiiuds  ecjsts 
lisiiuu  (two  milreis,  or  about  a  dollar).  In  Minas  it  eosts 
(LLilil  milreis  or  more.  As  nearly  as  I  could  learn,  the 
whole  entcri»nsc  of  the  Knglisli  eomj)any  was  conducted 
with  great  extravagance  and  want  of  good  management, 
so  that  it  is  no  ^vonder  it  failed.  It  is  u^eless  to  think 
of  iiiMking  the  Rio  Doce  tlie  highway  to  Minas,  and  of 
usinu' the  mouth  of  the  river  as  a  port.  The  countiy  bor- 
(l<riiiir  the  Kio  Doce  and  the  Lake  Juparanaa,  and  extend- 
ing:- westward  for  some  distance  beyond  Porto  de  Souza, 
mnst  lie  treated  as  a  gi'oat  agricultui-al  region  by  itself. 

Since  my  visit  to  the  Doce  quite  a  number  of  Amer- 
ican families  have  settled  on  the  river,  forming  a  little 
e'lldiiy.  which,  so  far  as  I  can  ascertain,  promises  to  be  a 
siirccss.  The  colonists  came  from  tlu^  Southern  States, 
fidni  a  climate  not  so  very  different  from  that  of  Kspirito 
Santo,  and  those  that  I  saw  h)oked  like  nu'i;  through  whose 
liamls  a  bettei-  fntnre  nught  be  worked  out  for  the  Doce. 
We  hope  that  their  enterprise  may  Itc  successful.* 

Northward  to  tlie  mouth  of  the  llio  Sao  ^latheos  stretches 
a  sand-beaeh,  broken  only  by  one  or  tWo  river-mouths, 
anil  back  of  which,  between  the  shore  and  the  tertiary 
bliitfs,  is  a  wide  area  of  swamps  and  lagoons, — a  region  al- 


*  In  till- sprinj;  of  1868  there  were  on  the  Doco,  acconliii!;  to  Burton,  four 
liiiniir«'(l  Atncricnns,  wlio  wore  doiuj?  well,  imd  were  "  stmlyiii;^  cotlee." 
(lligliluuds  of  lira/il,  Vol.  I.  p.  5.) 


lor, 


Gr.OLOGY   AXD   PHYSICAL   GEOGRArilV. 


most  inipassaldc,  and  never  yet  nm))j)ed.  Just  iioi'tli  of  \\\o 
r)()ce  and  iicai-  llic  coast  is  a  lai'gc  lag'oou  called  Monsernis. 
Duriiiu'  llii;  drv  season  this  is  separatcil  from  the  sea  hv  iln' 
Kand-heach.  Iml  when  tlie  rains  come  it  o])ens  lor  itself  a 
channel  t(»  ihe  sea,  winch  cluuuud  remains  ojjen  until  iln' 
drv  season  returns.*  A  more  waste  and  desert  reti'ion  t]i;iii 
the  shore  I'elween  the  Doce  and  Sao  Matheos  can  scarcely  iic 
ima,iiined  ;  luit  it  is  the- hiji'h-road,  and  nuist  he  Ibllowcil  in 
g'oinuto  SiluMatheos.  The  weary  sand-l)each  sli'ctches  aliru,! 
to  the  horizon,  dancinu'  in  thi'  hot  air,  and  dinuned  hy  the  drilt- 
inu'  s|)ray  from  the  ocean  hreakers,  that  })(»ur  their  thuinlrr- 
inu',  hlindinu'  surucs  on  the  desolate  shore.  A  line  of  moudtn- 
nons  sand-heaps,  like  a  great  tumhlintj;  liillow  ready  to  lnn>; 
on  the  low  grounds  hehind,  runs  paralhd  with  the  hearh. 
hare,  or  scantily  covered  hy  tul'ts  of  grass,  dwarl'  jjahns. 
A'c.,  —  no  shade,  no  water.  The  road  is  a  strip  out  ot"  Sahara, 
On  one  sidi'  is  the  si'a,  on  the  other  ,i  miasmatic,  pathlr.-> 
swam[).  Ordinarily  the  higoons  lie  at  some  litthMlistaiiit^ 
IVom  the  shoi'e,  and  ai'e  sepai'ated  from  it  liy  a  dense,  inijitin- 
trahle  thicket;  iait  at  I'itanuuinha  there  is  a  little  hn'"ooii  Iv 
the  shore  where  water  may  he  ohtained.  The  samls  on  tin-'' 
hcaches  are  coarse,  and  do  not  pack  so  as  to  alTord  a  'inui 
looting.  Animals  siidc  at  every  step,  and  the  journey  fnini 
the  Doce  to  the  Sao  Mathe(js  i.s  excessively  fatiguing,  tic 
traveller  heing,  in  addition,  lialile  to  sutler  severely  I'min 
thirst.  About  thirty  miles  north  of  the  Doce  is  Harra  Sccca. 
where  a  litth;  river,  di'aining  the  marshes  of  the  interim'. 
emptit's  into  th(>  sea.  Just  whei-e  it  takes  its  rise,  and  what 
is  its  course,  no  one,  even  of  the  inunediatc  vicinity,  kmw. 
It  is  usually  set  down  as  draining  a  lake  ealle(l  Tajiada  :  I'lU 

*  Wlu'ii  T  went  to  till-  Diicc  tVi)ni  Sao  Muthoos  tliis  Imr  was  closed.  Inn  ":i 
my  return,  in  liu'  latter  piirt  ol'  December,  it  wms  open,  aiitl  dunj^orous  tD  ei""" 


tliiit   is  n-i 
vai'ils  l'ro)i 

VV  li'Vcl. 

I'Uiis  ii|i  a 
■iihl.  yi>\  1 

the  liTfiild   I 

liari'ii.  iiiK 
sea.  The 
samls.  thro 
liana  is  as 
]ihice.  \\"\ 
Multicast  V 
times  eli,.>e 
iif  tiHih'd  I 
the  time  of 
eftlie  strcill 
hare  hy  the 
steiie^  were 

ill'.:'  ti'uvilic 
the  lime  (»| 

lie;M-|i    striK 

>l|il|es   I    sll! 

The    huK 

samly.  imd. 

iHi  I'eill   v;ili 

;i  s'lil.  and 
'-:re\\tli.  h;K 
lai'i;'!'.  irreg 
L;rii>s-ci)\-('r( 
liMilhunrd 
On    the 
Miitheus  till 


PROVLNCi:   OF   tSriRITO   SAXTO. 


107 


: 


i    .-. 


that  is  not  ))()ssible,  for  the  hike  lies  only  a  few  hnndrod 
vards  \'vnin  the  month  of  the  river,  and  at  a  veiy  nnieli  hii^h- 
vy  Irvcl.  The  tide  el)l)s  and  iluws  in  the  ^-eeea  and  evit]<Mitly 
niiis  iij)  a  long  distanee.  The  ri\er  eonies  from  the  sonth 
■iipl.  .iii>t  l»efore  reaching  the  sea,  Hows  along  in  the  rear  of 
tlir  lirmid  lieaeh  ridge,  fr(^m  behind  whieh  it  esea[)es  at  tiio 
liaiia.  and.  cutting  a  ehannt'l  aei'oss  the  lieaeh,  (lows  into  the 
Ma.  The  licach  is  constantly  ehanging  hy  the  drilting  of  the 
>aiHls.  throngh  the  action  of  the  wind  and  waves,  so  that  the 
haiia  is  as  constantly  shifting,  never  I'cmaining  long  in  one 
]ilarc.  With  a  northeast  wind  it  shifts  ((j  the  sonth,  with  a 
Miutl  east  wind  to  the  north,  while  an  easterly  storm  some- 
times ejioes  it  eidircly.  The  river  is  so  shallow  that  it  may 
lie  Idided  at  low  tid(},  whence  the  name  iJarra  Secca.  At 
the  lime  of  my  visit,  in  l8t')"),  there  were  exposed  in  the  haidcs 
eftlie  stream  at  the  Ijarra  strata  of  sandstone  which  were  laid 
haie  l,y  the  washing  away  of  the  hcach-sands.  These  sand- 
Mdiie^  were  formed,  helow  high-water  mark,  liy  the  cement- 
in-  tn^i'lher  of  the  sands  of  the  hjwer  part  of  the  heach  hy 
the  lime  of  shells,  A'c.  They  jireserved  the  characteristic 
I'eaih  >tiaietnre,  and  were  full  of  shells;  but  of  these  sand- 
>!'mes  1  shall  have  more  to  say  Ihrther  on. 

The  hinds  Ix'hind  the  beach  at  IJarra  .^ecca  arc  flat  and 
^aiidy.  and.  though  ctdtivatcd  to  aveiy  slight  extent,  are  of 
II"  leal  \alue.  The  lower  gronnds  are  damp,  fnrnished  with 
;i  >'m1.  and  are  largely  covered  with  a  rather  luxuriant  forest- 
■iiewih.  ba(d';  of  whieh  is  the  pictnres(iue  Lagua  Tapada,  a 
hiiiie.  inciiular,  shallow  sheet  of  clear  "water,  margined  by 
L;ia>s-c(ivei-e(l  meadows  and  iorest.  Its  waters  drain  oil 
n'lithward  into  the  ^hu'iricn. 

'hi  tiie  beaches  between  the  Wio  Docc  and  the  Sao 
Matheos  the  traveller  sees,  at  frecjuent  intervals,  the  sladls 


M 


108 


GEOLOGY  AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAI'IIY. 


and  skeletons  of  sea-turtles,  and  at  certain  times  of  IIk 
year  there  is  no  sight  more  common  than  that  of  a  flock  df 
Urubiis  feeding  upon  the  decaying  carcass  of  a  turtle,  le- 
cently  killed  by  some  hunter  for  the  sake  of  its  flesh,  fat.  or 
ovarian  eggs,  ^lost  abundant  of  the  foui"  s])ecies  which 
occur  on  the  coast  is  the  Loggerhead  Turtle,  Tha/asso- 
c/ii'I/js  cauana  Fitz. 

This  sjtecies  is  very  common  on  the  Brazilian  const. 
One  may  frecpiently  sec  it  floating  lazily  about  on  the  sur- 
face of  the  sea,  inside  the  Bay  of  Rio,  as  well  as  outside  tin- 
bar,  but  there  are  regions  where  it  is  especially  abuiidau!, 
and  to  certain  beaches  it  resorts  in  great  numlters,  at  par- 
ticular seasons  of  the  year,  to  de]»osit  its  eggs.  Perha})s  one 
of  the  most  noteworthy  of  these  is  the  beach  between  tli'' 
Docc  and  Sao  Mathcos.  In  the  month  of  November,  ]Mi."i, 
I  found  the  turtles  laying  in  the  vicinity  of  Barra  yecca,anil 
Mr.  Copeland  and  I  nuide  a  short  stay  at  the  }»lace  to  captuiv 
some  sjiecimens  for  the  Museum  of  Com]»arative  Zoiildin'. 
In  the  daytime  the  tui'tles  remain  out  at  sea,  but  in  the  nijijit 
the  females  come  on  shore  to  lay  their  eggs.  According  t^ 
the  statements  of  the  fishermen,  as  well  as  to  my  own  olisci- 
vat ions,  they  come  in  shore  when  the  tide  is  low,  and  haviiiL' 
gained  the  beach,  creep  to  the  uj)per  jiart  beyond  higli-tiilo 
level  before  they  make  their  nests. 

I  have  repeatedly  watched  the  movements  of  these  animals. 
They  walk  by  means  of  their  great  flipj)ers,  assisted  by  their 
short  hind  legs,  with  a  very  slow,  hitching  motion,  the  hody 
dragging  on  the  saiul.  The  flii)pers  and  feet  make  two  irreg- 
ular grooves  in  the  sand,  three  or  four  feet  apart,  which  look 
as  if  a  great  wagon  with  cogged  wheels  had  been  driven  over 
the  beach.  These  tracks  arc  so  prominent  that  one  may  seo 
them  even  on  a  dark  night,  and  they  serve  to  tell  the  hun- 


SSSSSSBSS^^^ 


PROVINCE   OF   ESPIRITO   SANTO. 


109 


tci'  wlietlicr  the  turtle  has  returned  to  the  sea  or  not,  and  to 
LHiiiic  him  to  her,  or  to  her  nest.  While  hihoriously  \vorIdii<5 
hci' way  up  the  beach,  the  tuille  keeps  her  head  stretched 
(lilt,  and  from  time  to  time  snuffs  and  sighs  as  it'  fatigued, 
iunl  now  and  then  she  rests.  So  intent  is  tlie  aninml  uj)on 
lln'  ac('<)in|ilis]iment  of  her  mission  to  hind,  that  one  may 
iiiniint  on  her  hack  without  aLirming  lier  ;  Imt  if  too  much 
(lisiuili('d,she  hastily  turns  about  and  makes  her  way  as  fast 
as  piissil»lc  to  the  sea.  Arrived  at  tlie  top  of  the  beach, 
s()inriini(>s  just  above  higli-water  mark,  sometimes  a  few  feet 
iii-hcr  np  among  the  sand-hills,  at  others,  even  on  the  land- 
wanl  side  of  the  sand-ridge,  she  stops  and  pre])ares  to  make 
licr  nest.  This  she  accomplishes  by  means  of  her  flat  hind 
R'ct.  and  after  this  manner :  She  digs  up  the  sand  with  one 
fiMtt.  and  throws  it  to  one  side.  Then  she  uses  the  other 
fiiut  ill  the  same  manner,  working  with  one  foot  after  the 
other,  altei-nately,  like  a  machine,  as  Neu  Wied  has  re- 
maikc(l.*  The  sand  which  would  be  likely  to  fall  l)ack 
n-ain  is  moved  out  of  the  Avay  by  the  foot,  which  moves 
t'niward  before  it  is  thrust  down  to  deepen  the  hole,  and 
siTiipes  the  sand  to  one  side.  The  whole  is  a  very  slow 
't'>i''i"ii, occupying  several  minutes.  During  this  thne  the 
iiiiiuial  remains  with  her  head  stretched  forward,  with  very 
little  motion  of  the  body,  and  occasionally  giving  a  hiss  or 
I'leathiug  heavily.  In  this  way  I  have  seen  a  perpendicular 
l'"l*'  'Ing  in  the  sand  a  foot  and  a  half  or  two  feet  deep, 
and  n  foot  in  diameter.  The  animal  then  remains  quiet, 
and  the  deposition  of  the  eggs  soon  begins.  While  one 
nidivi(hial  was  laying,  I  caught  the  eggs  in  my  hand,  as  they 
I'll.    They  were  laid  two  by  two,  or  one  by  one,  at  an  inter- 

*  Nou  Wied  has  in  his  Journey  a  plate  of  a  turtle  laying.     The  figure  of  the 
turtle  is  very  inaccurate,  and  the  eggs  are  represented  as  of  different  sizes. 


i 


no 


OKOLOGV   AND   riTYSICAL   GF.OGRAI'IIV, 


val  of  about  linlfa  iniinito,  fallinu-  in  a  lioap  into  tlio  lioliM., 
tlio  luunlici-,  iC  I  rciiicinlter  liulitly,  of  14^).  A  iicsi  alinns' 
alwavs  contains  over  lOO  cti'iis,  and  usuallv  from  \'20  to  l.'n 
^Vhcn  the  layin<>;  "was  fioing  on,  the  iiniiual  appearod  [k  r- 
fc'ctly  unconscious  of  tiie  ])i'osencc  of  jici'sons  aliout  liic. 
8o  soon  as  it  was  acconiplislied,  she  rested  a  nionieiil.  im  j 
then,  with  her  hind  feet,  scraped  the  sand  back  into  tiie  lii.l. 
uidil  it  was  i'ull.  After  tliis  the  l)o(ly  was  raised  a  little,  ;iii(i 
sand  was  scraped  nnderneath  it.  The  ijody  then  (h'Sijcinkii, 
packing  the  sand  ti,ii,htly,  and  this  operation  was  repcuiii 
several  times.  It  was  an  cxceedin<j,lv  interestinu'  siuln  i , 
see  this  stupid  reptile  performing  so  strange  an  act,  our  i, 
Avhich  she  seemed  to  lie  prompted  l»y  something  more  ili;ii: 
a  blind  instinct.  The  whole  operation  linished,  she  tiiriini 
round  and  started  for  the  st'a,  when  we  captuivd  hep.  \>\- 
taking  hold  of  the  shell  behind,  and  upsetting  hei-  on  lur 
back,  in  which  ])osition  it  is  impossible'  for  a  sea-turlli'  in 
turn  over.  In  upsetting  one  of  these  animals  two  p('isiii> 
are  usually  rcMpured.  As  soon  as  the  animal  is  ahiiim  1, 
she  thrusts  her  fore  ])addles  into  the  sand  and  throws  it 
behind  her,  so  that,  if  one  docs  not  take  the  precaution 
to  close  his  eyes,  he  is  likely  to  be  1)linded. 

The  eggs  arc  i-ather  larger  than  ^^'  )sc  of  a  lien,  rouiiil. 
and  covered  with  a  tough,  white,  ])archmcnt-likc  skin.  Tlio 
albuminous  jiortion  is  clear,  and  does  not  ))ecome  hard  in 
boiling.  The  yolk  is  very  large,  deej)  yellow,  and  is  tli' 
only  part  eaten.  I  found  these  egirs  very  ])ahitable,  tlioii'ii 
they  tasted  somewhat  fishy.  The  Brazilians  are  very  foiul 
of  them,  and,  while  the  turtles  arc  laying  in  Xovembcr.  IV 
ccmbcr,  January,  resort  to  the  shore  to  collect  them,  filling 
in  a  short  time  the  great  panniers  of  theii  mules.  TIm\' 
discover  the  nests  by  thrusting  a  long  stick  hito  the  saiul. 


!35a 


PROVINCE   OF   KSriRITO   SANTO. 


Ill 


mill  iIh'H  (liir  nut  tlio  oirgs  with  tlicir  Imnds.  Tlic  nests 
nrc  1  :iiu  tohl,  somctiinos  dos|»()il('(l  hy  jlic  Tciu  li/.ard 
{  Ti  ins  inotiilor  Mci'i'.).  'J'Ik^  Ura/.iliaiis  cook  the  cL^'ii's  in 
\;iri(iiis  ways,  lint  u'cnrnilly  by  lioilinu'.  The  yolk  is  nsually 
iiii\i'il  with  suuai'  and  lariidui.  They  ai'o  not  so  satisfyinn" 
as  ill"'  I'ti'i:'  of  the  hen,  and  one  may  cat  a  dozen  at  a  meal. 
Tln'v  make  vciy  ,ii'ood  omelets.  The  cu'ii's  Avhich  remain 
Hinii'tlesled  ai'c  hiitehed  liy  the  heat  ol"  t'>e  snn.  in  aliont 
twciilv  days,  it  is  said,  wIkmi  the  yonnu'  tnrtlcs  din-  their 
\\;i\  to  the  snrljKM^  and  cscaj)e  to  the  sea,  where  the  most 
(if  tiicm  I'all  a  i)rcy  to  shai'ks  and  other  fish.  The  cuu's 
are  laid  at  snch  a  dejjth  helow  the  snrfaec  as  to  insmv  a 
iiiiilorm  temperature,  for  on  the  sui-faec  the  sands  are 
e\|ii)>ed  during  the  day  to  a  fierce,  bnrninu-  heat,  while  in 
tin'  iiiiiht  they  cool  down  very  much,  the  dinrnal  \ariatiou 
di'  leniiierature  amountini>'  to  thirtv  deu'recs  or  moi'c.     At 

I  Oft 

Uu'  (li|ith  of  a  foot  and  a  half,  w  .wo  f(  et,  the  temperature 
is  (|iiite  uniform,  and  would  stand  in  Deeenihei-  or  .January 
at  aliout  eiu'hty  deo-recs.  I  ol)served  that  the  dogs  at  I'arra 
>i'Cfa.  when  it  was  cold  at  night,  8craj)ed  away  the  u[>per 
layer  (tf  sand  near  my  tent,  and  lay  down  in  the  warm 
sand  helow,  and  I  learned  a  useful  lesson  I'rom  them, 
So  (hat,  when  hcnighted  and  unsheltered,  I  could  fmd  a 
warm  hed  on  the  sca-sliore.  The  strength  of  the  turtle 
is  (iionnDus.  A  stout  stick  placed  in  its  hill  was  crushed 
like  a  straw.  The  (lesh  is  dark  red  and  coarse.  We  had 
it  cooked  in  various  ways,  hut  did  not  fuul  it  veiy  goctd, 
tliiiiiLih  we  were  ohlio-ed  to  use  it  for  food.  The  animal  is 
iisiially  very  fat,  the  f;^t  being  of  a  greenish-yellow  color, 
iind  oil  is  tried  from  it  for  various  jmrposes  l)y  the  people 
(»r  the  coast.  The  ovaries  were  alwavs  full  of  cu'gs  in  all 
stages  of  development.     These  ovarian  eggs  are  much  es- 


112 


GKOLOGY  AND  PHYSICAL  GEOGRAPHY. 


teemed  by  the  inluiltitaiils,  and  llic  fiirllcs  arc  killed  in 
great  mmil)er.s  for  their  sake.  All  aK)ii«^'  the  lieiudies  (nii. 
may  see  carcasses  from  which  the  plastron  has  hoeii  rcMnovcil 
to  allow  the  ovaries  to  lie  got  at.  ^Ir.  (.'ojudaiid  and  I 
prepared  some  six  specimens  of  the  sjx'cies  of  tni'llc  aliovL' 
described  in  the  shape  of  skeletons,  shells,  skins,  and  alco- 
holic preparations  of  head  and  flippers,  for  the  Museum  of 
Comj)arative  ZoJilogy. 

The  food  of  this  turtle  appears  to  consist  of  fish,  sluH- 
fish,  sea-urchins,  itc.  1  have  observed  j^rowinti;  on  the  cara- 
paces of  these  animals  a  larg-e  barnacle,  Coronii/d,  like  thai 
which  u:rows  on  the  l)ack  lA'  the  whale  on  the  same  coast. 
Pi-ince  Max  zn  Xcu  Wied,  on  his  Joni'uey  northward  IVoiu 
the  I)oce,  saw  a  living  sea-turtle  near  i]arra  Sccca,  ami 
watched  her  lay  her  eggs.  He  has  referred  this  specimen 
to  the  Green  Turtle,  ('/iclonia  7)i//das,})iit  1  do  not  think  that 
his  determination  is  satisfactory.  The  specimens  wliicli 
Mr.  Gopelaud  and  I  collected  liave  been  examined  by  Mr. 
J.  A.  Allen,  of  the  Museum  of  Comparative  Zoiilogy,  ami 
have  all  proved  to  be  Loggerheads.  I  do  not  think  1  saw  a 
single  mi/(his  on  the  Brazilian  coast;  at  all  events,  all  tlio 
sea-turtles  I  examined  were  different  from  the  green  turtks 
brought  into  the  New  York  market. 

Erctmochcli/s  imhricata  Fitz.  (Tarforiii^a  de  Pcntc  of  lli<' 
Brazilians.)  This  species  occurs  quite  abundantly  on  flie 
Brazilian  coast.  It  is  taken  at  the  Abrolhos  together  with 
the  Cauana,  and  its  thick  scales  are  used  to  some  extent 
for  the  manufacture  of  ornaments.  One  may  occasionally 
find  it  in  the  markets  of  Pernambuco  and  Bahia,  and  at  the 
latter  city  my  friend,  Dr.  Anto.  de  Lacerda,  had  one  which 
he  kej)t  captive  in  the  pool  of  a  fountain  in  his  garden. 
Sp/iarg-is  con'arca  Gray.     (Leather-back  Turtle.)    Xo" 


PROVINCK   OF   KSPIRITO   SAXTO. 


n;3 


WumI  inontions  licariiiGj  an  innnoiisc  soa-turtle  witli  a  loatli- 
ri\  >kiii  spoken  (jf, and  which  he  siijtposed  nii^lit  ho  Tisfiido 
coriiici'd  lihin.  ;  hut  he  did  not  see  a  six^cinien.  The  lisliei'- 
111(11  descrihod  to  mc  a  siniihir  tin-lle.  and  their  descripti(jn 
wiiiild  tend  to  conlirm  Xeu  Wiod's  opinion.  1  did  not  sec  a 
siM'ciineii. 

Cln/oiiid  mi/(las  Selni.  (Green  Turtle.)  Aecordinn'  to 
Neil  Wied  and  others,  tliis  species  occurs  on  the  Brazilian 
L'uast,  hut  1  have  never  seen  it. 

Till-  iiunilter  of  sea-turtles  destroyed  every  year  on  tlio 
lii'Mihcs  lietween  the  Docc  and  Siio  Matheos  is  very  largo, 
iuul  ilii'  ili'struction,  if  persisted  in,  must  ultimately  drive 
tluiii  IVoiii  the  coast. 

(Ii)lici's  maj)  of  that  part  of  Esjiirito  Santo  l)et\vccn  Santa 
('ill/,  ami  the  Slit)  Matheos  is  very  inaccurate,  hecause  the  ma- 
terials from  which  his  map  was  com})iled  are  inaccurate,  and 
litili'  trust  is  to  he  placed  in  the  position  assigned  to  the 
lakes  and  minor  streams.  For  this  region  the  chart  of 
.MdihIii'/,,  though  giving  in  considerahlo  detail  the  hydrog- 
ia|iliy  and  topogra])hy  of  the  coast  lands,  is  worse  than 
iiutliiiig.  lor  he  seems  to  have  disregarded  all  the  })rcviously 
imMishod  maps  of  the  province. 

Tliv  Iicach,  hacked  hy  a  high  ridge  of  sand,  runs  north- 
wanl.  for  jierliaps  two  miles,  to  a  place  called  As  Pedras, 
wliero  the  same  calcareous  sandstone,  as  seen  at  ]>arra  Secca, 
oeiurs,  exposed  for  some  distance  along  the  hoach  over  a 
considerable  area.  The  beds  dip  seaward,  and  a])pear  to 
lie  very  thick  at  low-water  mark  ;  but  they  thin  out  before 
reaching  high-water  level.  The  arrangement  of  the  mate- 
I'ials  in  this  sandstone  is  precisely  like  that  of  the  beach,  and 
'liis  ibnnation  is  oidy  the  lower  part  of  a  beach  ridge  \vhich 
lia.s  been  cemented  by  the  lime  of  shells,  <fcc.,  and  then  laid 

u 


114 


GEOLOGY   AND   I'HYSICAL   GKOGUArilY. 


biiro.  Tlic  sniidsfoiio  is  oxccodiiinly  linrd.  Two  sots  df 
joints  —  ono  i»firiill('l  witli  the  licncli  line,  the  otlier  tit  iii:lii 
angles  to  it  — divide  it  into  fri'ont  blocks,  which,  in  those  sjidN 
Avhere  llicy  hiive  lieen  nnderniined  i)y  the  surf,  lie  njiset  iiml 
in  eonriision  idonu'  the  (.h\>iv  oI'  the  reef.  Alonu'  tiiese  jlliIll^ 
the  I'ock  is  ol'len  harder  than  lietween  thrm,  so  that  wlicn 
the  sui'lace  of  a  Mock  is  exjn  d  to  the  action  of  (lu^  sea.  tlh 
od^'cs  wear  less   raj)idly   t.  .0  middle,  and   the  ciaikv 

seen  on  a   worn    snrl'ace    aiv>  oftentimes   hordei'ed    by  nn- 
row  ridiics.     These  have  evidently  resnlted  I'roni  tin;  pciir- 
tration  into  the  mass  ol"  water  carryinjj;  lime   in   solutiuii, 
after  the  joints  had  been  formed,  and  the   farther  soiidiH- 
cation  of  the   rock  on   each   side  of  the  joint.     'J'he  wavi^ 
beat   terribly  aji'ainst  this   reef,  and  it  is  badly  l)roken  up. 
Continning   northward    along   the    reef,    which    somclimr^ 
forms  a  smooth  jjavemcnt  to  the  beach,  at  others  olistriid^ 
it   by  bi'oken    nnisses   of  stone,  we  come  to  a  rocky  |i(iiiii 
where  the  shore  bends  in  abrnj)tly,  and  makes  a  little  Imy. 
The  beach  ridge  ends  as  abrnptly,  and  the  shores  of  tln' 
cove  have  no  I'idge,  bnt  the  reef  rock  eontinnes  straight  (Mi. 
and    forms    a   line  of   rock,  stretching  ont  some    distant 
across  the  bay,  while  at  low  tide  one  may   see   that  tin 
reef,  onlv  inst  covered  bv  water,   is  continned  across  tli< 
bay  to  a  ])oint  where  the  beach,   fnrnished   with  a  sind- 
ridge,    follows    once   more    its    normal    northward    ticiiil. 
This    locality    is    very    interesting,    becanse    it    shows   w- 
that    the    sandstone    is    confmed    to   the   beach,   and   that, 
when   the   beach    ridge   and   the   sands    behind    have   hww 
swcj)t  away,  by  a  storm  or  otherwise,  the  bared  reef  may 
stretch,  like  a  wall  or  breakwater,  across  the  coast  iii<leii- 
tation  tims  formed. 

Still  farther  northward  we  find  the  beach  bordered  by  a 


rROVINTK    or   KSriRlTO   SANTO. 


Hi 


iViiiLniiLM-ccf  of  this  sort.  —  a  sort  of  in-(>^ular  fliiiririiiu' lo 
it<  ciIl;!'.  Uidinir  over  tlicso  one  sees  the  oiMlinnry  shells  of 
till'  const,  with  tlit'ir  coloi-s  still  IVcsh.  iiiiliiMlilcd  in  the  rock. 
Tlicrc  is  II  species  of  iiuiriiie  worm  wliicli  coiisti'iicts  on  these 
Kicks,  near  low  tide,  ureat,  roinuled,  llatteiie(l  aii'Liloiuera- 
tjoiis  (if  saiul-tuhc'S,  which  arc  sometimes  more  than  a  loot 
ill  licj'jhl,  and  I'esemhlo  immense  spon}i'(>s.  Tlie  sand  is 
vcrv  cuinpaetly  comcnted  together,  as  mi.Liht  he  inferred  fi'oni 
tjicii-  witlistanding  the  continnons  pomidin,<:'  of  the  Atlantie 
villi.  ."Sometimes  thc^se  masses  are  hroken  across,  when 
ilic\-  :i|ipear  like  fragments  of  some  hirg(>  Astriean.  Ai  one 
Idciilityoii  the  shore,  opjiositc  these  rocks,  thei-e  is  a  shallow 
hc^uoii  ol'  consideralile  extent,  called  ^faririen,  which  lies 
just  liehind  tlie  heach,  and  is  se[)arated  from  the  sea  only 
liv  ilic  heach  ridge,  which  latter  rises  to  a  height  of 
Mir  ri\c  feet  ahove  high-water  mark.  I  fonnd  the  sni'face 
iif  ilii>  lake  to  he,  on  the  IHth  Xovemher,  ISl].'),  ahont  five 
t'cct  ;ind  a  half  ahove  the  level  of  the  sea  at  low  watei-.* 
Since  it  is  separated  from  the  sea  hy  only  a  nai'row  ri<lge 
uC  siind,  there  is  a  constant  soaking  of  its  waters  fhi-oiinh 
the  licacli  at  low  tide.  It  has  seemed  to  me  prohalde  that 
tlic  waters  (»f  the  lagna  ))ercolating  throngli  the  heach  might 
li;ivc  something  to  do  with  tla^  solidineatioii  of  the  sands. 
Til"  luii'row  heach  which  separates  the  lake  from  the  sea 
i^  the  only  dry  gronnd  lietween  the  swamps  ami  the  ocean, 
iiiid  it  is  the  road  taken  i)y  the  wild  animals  j)assing  north 
iiiiij  siiiitli  along  tlie  shore.  At  As  Azeitcs,  a  little  settle- 
nieiit  near  the  shore,  and  ahont  three  leagues  south  of  ."^ao 
.M;iiliei»s,  there  arc  several  lieach  ridges,  one  ..iside  of  the 
"dier.  Inside  of  these,  draining  the  lagoas  and  swamjjs  of 
di<'  south,  flows  a  little  Idack-water  stream  called  the  Rio 

*  The  tide  here  rises  about  six  Ccct  six  inches. 


110 


GKOLOOY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGIlArilV. 


il 


Miirlrlcu.*  At  As  AzcitoH  the  swampy  ro«i-ion  is  several  miles 
wide,  and  a  cuusidenihle  jtart  of  it  is  overflowed  ;  Imi  ih,. 
lairoons  and  sti-eams  arc  so  masked  l»v  lloatinj;  masses  of 
water-jilants  {hiiisas),  and  a  dense  swamp  vi'«:'etatioii,  ihat 
the  eonntiy  is  impassalile,  and  conse(|iiently  nnknouii  to  the 
iidiahitants  of  the  district  itself.  At  Azeites  the  Ahiriricii 
is  only  a  narrow,  navigahlc  channel  leading*  throiii:li  a 
wide,  overflowed  rcg'ion,  and  1  (ordered  l»y  balsas  of  g-rass 
arltorescent  arums,  and  trees.  A  narrow  canal,  scnci; 
hundred  feet  lon<jj,  is  here  cut  throngh  the  floatinji;  vcLn'ta- 
tion  to  reach  terra  firma.  On  descendin«i-,  the  chaiiiid 
fi'('(|U(Mitly  expands  into  lii'uad  laj^oons,  diversified  hy  lialsns. 
and  islands  with  clumps  of  trees,  hut  the  channel  soon  cnii 
tracts,  thouiih  the  g-rowth  of  floating  grasses f  on  each  sidr 
makes  it  appear  very  nuich  narrower  than  it  is  in  reality. 
In  some  jilaces  it  is  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  wide  and  tin 
to  fifteen  feet  deep.  The  lands  ) (ordering  it  are,  for  a  liiiiir 
part,  only  just  above  water,  and  are  licavily  wooded.  In  tluM' 
forests  one  sees  the  (Janudleira  ( Finish,  ixud  the  Tucum  palm 
( Asfrocarf/um  lucuma  !Mart.),  furnishing  a  valuable  fibre,  iiml 
the  Ingit,  Avhile  on  the  o|(en  grounds  flourishes  the  Cnslicu'. 
or  Cajueira  (^Anacardium  orridrn/fi/c),  some  immense  i\vv< 
of  which  I  saw  growing  at  As  Azeites.  These  lands  nir 
very  excellent  for  the  cultivation  of  rice.  There  are  shhk 
stretches  of  higher  sandy  grounds,  which,  though  not  feitiji', 
are  more  or  less  cultivated,  ])ro(lucing  mandioca,  feijao,  fdt- 
ton,  rice,  and  corn.  The  Maririeu  em|>ties  into  the  Siio  Ma- 
tlieos  a  few  miles  aliove  its  mouth.     The  tide,  which  'i'"" 

*  III  all  jirolialiility  duriiifr  heavy  frcslu'ts  some  of  the  shore  lai;i'ia-  ni;iy 
make  outlets  for  themselves ;  hut  the  only  harras  I  saw  hetween  the  Dnic  ai': 
Silo  Matheos  wore  those  of  Monseri'as  and  Seceii. 

t  This  is  the  resort  of  }:rpai  nunihers  of  allifj:ators,  cnpaharas,  and  of  in!iny:'pt- 
cies  of  water-1  tints,  —  dueks,  jHirnis,  cranes,  &c.,  — many  of  which  breed  there. 


PROVINCE   OF   ESI'IRITO  SANTO. 


117 


up  tin'  Siio  Aliithcos  Home  thirty-five  miles,  makes  its  iiillii- 
(■iicf  t'clt  up  the  Mariricu  for  some  disliince.  Sonicliines, 
(liiriii.i;  tiroiilhs,  Ihe  sail  water  Hows  up  th<'  river  ami  kills 
ijic  floaliuj^  u'rasses,  nml  many  of  the  IVesh-waler  fi>h  die. 

TIk'   \\\o   ."^ao   Matheos    '    ^es    in    the   proviui-c   of    Minas, 

in  tjir   foi'est,  south  of  tlu^   (,'oloiiia  (!(■   rrucu  :   luit    I   have 

im  inroruiatiou    as    to    the    exaet    point,  lor   (he  ici^iou   of 

it-,    lir;i(l-\vaters    is    a    forest    iiihahileil     hy    savaues    and 

(jiiiti'  luiexplored.     Jn  a  manuseri|)t   map   kindly   furnished 

iiir  ly  my  friend,  Ilerr  Rohert.    Sehlohaeh,  Imperial  cuLd- 

iicrf  III'  ihe  Mucury,  the   Hio  Sao  Matheos  is  I'cprcseutrd   as 

tiikiiiLT  its  rise  u  few  miles  south  of  rhiladel|thia.      Its  aii- 

riciit  name  was  Cricaiv,  or  (^nirieai'd.      It  is  lormcil  hy  the 

iiiiiiin.at  a  distanei?  of  ahout  sixty  nnles  alioNc  its  mouth,  of 

tu.)  liranches  eallcMl,  respectively,  Jh'iieo  do  Noite  and  Iha^o 

iJ'iSul.   I  made  a  horsehaek  journey  to  the  Fazenda  do  Cajtitao 

(iiaiiilc,  distant  some  fortv-livc  miles  IVom  tlie  eitv  of  Sao 

Matlicns,  and  situated  on  the   Ih'aro  do  Norte,  a  frw  nnles 

iiliuvr  its   iunidion   with   the    Hraeo   do   Sul,  and,  descend- 

iii'i  to  the   sea,  mappe(l    the  river  as  far  us  Sao  ;^hltheos, 

ImIiiw  which   I  was   pi-evented  from   continuinji'  my   work. 

At  Capitao  (Jrande  the  river,  a  stream  some  one    hundred 

ifct   wide,  shallow    and    swift,   flows    in    the    Itottoni   of  a 

vnllcy.cut  through  the  tertiary  formation,  which  here  lia>  a 

iliirkiicss,  id)ove  river  l<'\(d,  of  three  hundred  feet,  more  or 

ifs>.     Oil  l)()th  sides  of  the  valley  the  country  is  a  plain,  fur 

till'  most   part   heavily  timhered,  especially  on   the    slopes. 

At  the  I'a/.cnda,  the  soils  on  the  slopes  a|)pear  to  lie  drift,  and 

;iiv  cxcccdinoiy  fertile.     The  eolVee  on  the  slopes  was  viL:(»r- 

•■iis  ami  healthy,  without  lilight,  and   it  was  very  heavily 

finitcd  witli  a  herry  of  excellent  aronui.     1  do  not  i-emendter 

luiviiin'  seen  anywhere  hetter  coHee-trces  than  those  at  Cupi- 


118 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GnOGRAPIIY. 


tilo  Oraiulo.   The  soil  yicMs  miuidioca  and  tlio  otlior  proilncfs 
proper  to  (he  cliiiiatc  in  aliuiHlancc.     In  tlie  narrow  valliv 
the  eliniate  is  ve it  hot,  trying',  and  I'cvei'ish,  l)nt  the  clearin'j; 
away  of  the  forests  will  change  its  eliai'acter.     On  the  l>i;i(ii 
<lo  Xorlc  clays  are  oecasionally  exj)osed  in  the  l)lulVs,  tof^vili- 
cr  with  a  kind  of  coarse  white  sandstone  snch  as  wonld  iv. 
suit   from  the  hai'dening  of  the  sandy  clays  of  the  tertiary. 
There  are  hnt  few  inhabitants  on  this  branch  of  the  rivci', 
Of  the  Iha(M)  ilo  Sul  I  "know  nothin^i'.     The  nuiin  river  is  u 
resjieetable  little  stream,  one  hundred  ami  fifty  to  two  Iniii- 
dred  feet   in  width   above    Sfio  Ahitheos,   and   boi'dcred  \,\- 
alluvial    lands,    which   lie   in    the    bottom   of    a   valley  cut 
throuuh  ihe  tertiary  l)eds,  and  vary   nuich   in   wiitlh.     Tin' 
valley  is  bordered  by  blnlTs,  in  which  sandstones  and  ehi  ^ 
of  ordinary  type  are  occasionally  seen.     The  tertiary  sli>|i(s 
are  very  fei'tile  and  lar.trely  cultivated,  as  are,  to  a  considn'- 
able   extent,  the    lands  on    the   npper  plain,*  so  that  tin' 
country,  with  its  numerous  fazendas  ami  cucoa-palni  trees. 
wears  a  very  pleasant  aspect. 

The  cocoa  jtalni  {Cocus  nucifcra)  is,  aecordinj^  to  Wal- 

*  Tlu' sdil  lit' till' iiiiiKT  ])li(iii,  wlicn  nnclcarcd,  ii.Miaily  lioiirs  si  lioiivv  for. -: 
;;n)\vth.  It  i>  iiioiv  or  k'ss  Siindy  1111(1  clayey,  and  I  slioiild  siipj)osc  wmild  I 
dillicult  til  wink ;  hut  I  am  told  tliat  t^wh  is  not  tlic  case.  It  is  frc(|iiiriil. 
(M^vcnd  with  a  tliin  layer  of  loose  sand  on  the  surface,  owinir  to  tlie  w:i>liiiij 
away  of  the  clayey  portion  l>y  the  surface  water.  It  is  csjuci  Ilv  fitted  for  tl,- 
cilii\aiioM  of  luandioea,  which  flourishes  well  in  a  saiidv  .-oil,  as  well  :i- fi : 
cotton,  wliic'i  al>o  does  well  in  a  soil  of  that  kin. 1.  Cane  is  planted  to  nmi; 
extent.  A'l'lun  cleared,  tl.ose  lands  make  excellent  irra/iii!.'-  jrronmls,  hut  irni- 
mu:-t  he  pIaiitc(L  On  the  Sert.lo  flourish  the  Xai/ti,  Timhnrr,  and  .l/mv' palm- 
Northwest  of  Sao  Matheos,  on  the  north  side  of  the  river,  are  some  extcibivo 
barren  and  swampy  jilains  covered  hy  a  vcL;etation  com|>osed  of  Airn\>\ 
anioii;:'  which  I  oliserveil  a  sjiecie-  of  Vaceiniiim  in  fruit.  The  soil  of  the  rivir- 
borders  is  Massajic',  and  very  fertile  ;  lint  these  are  i^cnerally  vervlow  ami  li:'l'li 
to  l)e  Hooded.  Near  Sao  Matheos  are  extensive  swam])s,  whicli  sometimes  brvl 
verv  miiliiiiuiut  fevers. 


OB 


PROVINCE  OF  ESPIRITO   SANTO. 


110 


hiiT  and  otlior  "rood  aiithoritios,  not  a  native  of  America,  and 
ill;'  t  ;irly  explorers  of  IJrazil  do  not  speuk  (jf  it.  Its  lionic 
;i|ilM'ai's  ((J  liiive  lieeii  in  (Ik;  Kust  Indies,  l)iit  it  has  bei-n  in- 
lioihired  into  America,  j)roi)alily  by  natural  means,  the  ini- 
]i(  i\ious  shell  and  thick  husk  litting  the  IVuit  to  hear  long- 
time /ortation  hy  ocean  currents.  It  is  now  found  every- 
wlicre  on  tropical  ct)asts,  Itut  in  the  East  Indies  it  is  more 
lur^cly  cultivated  than  elsewhere,  sometimes  even  forming 
Idiots.  It  is  a  very  valuable  tree,  furnishing  food,  oil,  liln'e 
tnr  (ordage,  arrack,  A:c.,  tVrc* 

\'(iii  Tschudi  says  that  \'illa  A'i(;osa  is  the  southern  limit 
(it'ilii>  palm  in  Iha/.il.  This  is  not  (piite  correi  *.  South  of 
•"ao  Matheos  these  trees  are  but  rarely  seen,  l)Ut  they,  hnw- 
t'vci'.  grow  at  Rio  de  Janeiro,  and  great  numl)ers  nuiy  be 
-(■en  (»n  the  shores  of  Faiiueta,  while  there  are  a  few  speei- 
iiifus  on  the  islands  of  C(jbras  and  Villeu'anhao.  At  the 
IJaiia  do  Sao  Matheos  they  grow  veiy  well,  and  at  the 
Fa/'iida  do  Campo  Redondo,  at  a  distance  of  several  miles 
IVoiii  the  sea,  there  is  a  fine  grove  on  the  edge  ol'  a  l)lull'. 
Tliis  palm,  as  has  been  IViMpiently  I'einarked.  ai)p('ars  to 
iluuii-h  bi'st  on  the  sands  of  tin,'  st'a-shore,  and  it  is  \»'ry 
rarely  seen  at  any  great  distance  inland. 

A  specimen  was  seen  by  I'urton  on  the  Sao  Francisco  at 
Pircjo  do  Salgado,  three  hundrcMl  nnd  fifty  miles  from  the 
sea  :  and.  according  to  the  same  observer,  the  cocoa  palm 
eeeurs  in  oci-asion  i  patches  thence  cowii  the  river.  Hurton 
speaks  of  a  large  grove  twenty-eight  miles  to  the  sou^llwe^t 
ef -loa/.eiro.  and  lu>  suggests  tluit  the  saline  character  of  the 
M'il  may  niaki'  up  for  the  want  of  sea  air. 

*  Sec  llMiniltim.  Description  of  Hinilostiiii,  Vol.  II.  p.  210.  IMi-vrn,  Bot,\ii- 
Wn\  Ciiii^niphy,  j>.  .'J.'U.  Triuisactions  of  Royal  Asiiitic  Society  of  (ircat  I{rit;iiii, 
Vnl.  I.  ],,  ;-,4G.  Bennett's  Travels  in  New  Soutli  Wales,  &e.,  Vol.  XL,  Aj.pen- 
liix,  p.  295. 


120 


GKOLOGY    AND   I'lIYSIUAL   (IHOGHAIMIV. 


■-jj^j^  -''i 


--V-. '*.      -=r 


r.\/.i:Nl)A   111''   CAIMIM)    i;i:i)UM)(),   sAO   MATiricos. 

Ilumlioldt  fuiu;;!  lliis  iialiu  ^rowinu:  in  llu'  interior  of 
Veiu'zuola.  and  the  Diiia'  Paul  von  Wiirlcniliui'u-  ivports  it 
as  flourisliinji-,  at  a  distance  i'roni  the  sea.  in  the  island 
of  Culia.  It  occurs,  also,  sometimes  in  the  interior  (if 
India. 

In  Brazil  I  luivc  seen  the  cocoa  palm  as  far  south  as  lati- 
tude '2-]^  at  Rio.  It  is  grown  ahundanllyin  the  provinces  of 
Dahia,  S(>riii))e,  Alagnas,  Pernamhuco,  and  alony-  the  coast 
northward,  l)ut  near  the  eipiator  it  is  rarely  seen.  Tin 
northern  limit  a|)pears  to  lie  within  latitude  2'S' north  of  tin' 
equator.  ^layeri  says,  on  the  authority  of  Ifmnholdt,  tiiat 
ill  \'cne/.ucla  it  ascends  to  the  heiu'ht  of  7<>'>  toises  almve 
the  i)lain,  or  in  the  vicinity  of  4,r)00  feet  ahovc  the  sea. 

The  products  of  the  Sao  ^latheos  region  are  principally 
mamlioca  nu^al  ( f(in'n/ni),  together  with  some  sugar,  cacao. 
beans.  Ac,  A'c.  The  caeiio  is  principally  planted  on  the  lower 
grounils.  where  it  yields  well.  The  influence  of  the  tide  is  fult 
at  a  distance  of  some  twenty-five  miles,  or  more,  aho\('  tlic 
mouth  of  the  river,  and  navigation  f(jr  small  vessels  ends  a  lew 


mill's  alioi 
iii';iring  t 
ci'jlity  to  ( 
and  other 
iihifC.  par 
till'  hlidfs 
Ii    lias  al 
Xilli:'  i.'ons 
ill'/  steam 
]ially  in 
ri\t'r    llie 

tjviid  olf    1 

llit'v  near 
t'l  asci'jlx', 
wliirh  the 
D.'low  tl 
nlisti'ui'ted 
(ii'i'asimial 
ly  a  dense 
the  sea  on 
sai;'ly  plaii 
Tlh'    ii\-er-l 
iiilici'  lii'aci 
dii'iii.     Sal 
city  of  Silo 
niil'js  in  a  ( 
l(ir;i(('i|  (111 
alniiit  wrst- 
fioni  die  ci 
Maiiiicu  ; 
aliiivc  tlio 
iionhwcst. 

VUL.   I. 


m 


I'ROVIXCL   OF  ESPIRITO   SANTO. 


121 


mill's  above  the  town.  The  hcijrht  of  the  hhifTs  decreases  on 
iiraiiiiii'  iIh'  coa.st,  and,  at  the  city,  tlicy  are  not  more  than 
rijhtv  to  one  hnn(h"ed  feet.  Sao  Matheos,  like  Nova  Ahneida 
aihl  iitlicr  Unizilian  towns,  is  l)uilt  j)artly  on  the  edji'e  of  the 
iiliiff.  partly  at  it.s  loot,  l>y  the  river-side,  at  the  ])oint  where 
till'  hliiffs  leave  the  river  and  rnn  S(jnth\vard  to  the  Duee. 
li  li;is  aliont  two  thousand  iidialiitanls,  and  is  a  place  of 
r-iww'  c(»iisideral»le  importance,  beinj^  rt.'ached  by  the  eoast- 
iii'i  stcaiiK'is  anil  little  schooners.  The  trade  is  ])rinei- 
pallv  in  farinha,  feijao,  ite.  On  the  ojiposite  side  of  the 
river  the  l)hdrs  I'un  eastward  ft>r  a  few  miles,  and  then 
tniid  nil"  northward  to  Itahilnas,  decreasing  in  heiju'lit  as 
tlii'\  near  the  sea.  'i'his  decrease  in  height,  I  am  inclined 
Id  asciilie,  in  ]»art,  to  the  slope  of  the  old  sea-bottom,  on 
\vl;i<'li  the  tertiary  beds  were  deposited. 

Dclnw  the  town  the  river  grows  wider,  shallower,  and  is 
olistincted  by  sam.l-banks.  The  Ijanks  are  low,  with  only 
(iceasional  plantations,  and  are,  for  the  most  part,  covered 
liy  a  dense  forest ;  but,  lying  between  the  tertiary  lands  and 
tlie  ^ea  on  the  northern  side,  at  least,  are  ([uite  extensive 
siih'ly  plains  with  their  accompanying  sparse  vegetation. 
Tiir  river-banks  are  generally  nniddy,  and  the  aninga  and 
nilier  brackish-water  swamp  plants  grow  abnndantly  on 
tlicin.  Salt-water  crabs  and  fish  ascend  to  the  town.  The 
citv  of  Sao  Matheos  cannot  be  more  than  seven  or  eiuht 
iiiii'js  in  a  direct  line  from  the  sea,  and  is  very  incorrectly 
lucatcij  (111  the  maps.  According  to  my  observation,  it  lies 
aliniil  wi'st-southwest  of  the  barra.  The  river,  descending 
Irnm  thr  eity,  makes  a  large  bend  southward,  receiving  the 
Maririru  ;  it  then  runs  north  a  few  degrees  east,  and,  just 
aliovo  the  baiaa  bends  round  and  enters  the  sea  from  the 
iiuriluv(>st.     The  maps  show  a  Kio  i^ao  Domingos  entering 

VUL.    I.  6 


122 


GEOLOGY   AND   I'lIVSICAL   GKOGRAPIIY. 


the  Sao  Mutlicos,  just  altovc  the  villa,  but  I  liml  no  note  of 
it  in  my  JDiunal.  The  A'ilhi  da  Harra  do  Silo  ^hithecjs  i.s 
situated  on  a  I'idti'C  of  sand,  onlv  a  stone's  throw  IVoni  the 
sea,  hilt  it  is  neai'iy  two  miles  from  the  nioulli,  beeause  the 
river  tlows  soulliward,  hrhind  the  heaeh  rid^ze  for  tliat  dis- 
tanec,  l)elbro  esenping  into  the  sea.  On  Ijoth  sides  of  the 
river,  l)ut  jtartieuhirly  on  the  southern  side,  there  are  extiii- 
sivc  manu'rove  swamps,  wliich  furnish  veiy  interesting  col- 
k'cting  grounds  for  the  naturalist,  for  they  are  cs])ecially 
rich  in  crustaceans.  Among  the  mangroves  two  genera  an 
rcj)resentod, —  L(i^-iinnii(iri(i  and  Aricciinia.  The  conniiDU 
ivd  mangi"o\e  of  the  Brazilians  is  the  Ltii^iincuhi/'ia  racvuiDsa 
Gaert.,  of  wiiich  the  wood  is  used  for  burning,  and  the  leaf 
and  liark  Ibr  taiming.  The  second  species  is  the  Avicennia 
tuiiicii(()S(i  liinnc,  used  for  the  same  {)urposes. 

One  league,  (^r  therealiouts,  north  of  the  JJai'ra  do  Siiu 
Matheos,  is  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Itahunas,  or  (luaxindiba. 
This  little  stream,  a  black-water  I'iver,  as  has  already  liccii 
noted  by  ^hix.  zu  Xeu~Wied,*  rises  in  the  Sertiio,  and  reac)u'> 
the  coast  at  a  point  sonic  three  leagues  north  of  the  month: 
but  a  l)eaeh  ridge,  only  a  few  hundred  feet  in  width,  prevents 
its  reaching  the  sea,  and  causes  it  to  bend  i»bru[)tly  to  \\w 
southward,  so  that  it  flows  along,  through  the  low  groumls. 


*  Prinz  Max.  zu  Ncii  Wiod,  Rrisf  nach  Drasilieii,  Vol.  I.  ]).  226,  says  tiiat  th- 
Peixcboi,  or  luiuiiiti,  ^f(lnatus  amcricanus,  occurs  in  a  lnr!::c  }^rass-;;n)\vn  hiki 
south  of  the  Sao  Matlicos  and  coniniunicatins  witli  tliat  river,  and  tliat  it  uskI 
to  he  ea]>tureil  li}-  tlie  inhaliitants  fur  tlie  sake  of  its  liluhher,  flesh,  and  ear-boms: 
and  in  the  seeond  volume  of  his  livitrnrjp  mr  Xcilnniisrhiclile  von  Bnisilim,  ]ki;"' 
602,  he  states  that  it  occurred  |)lentifidly  in  tlic  rncr  and  lake  aloiesaid.  it  i:i 
the  vicinity  of  the  (Juartel  Jiiparanaa,  and  was  formerly  fre{|nently  taken  liy 
the  inhahitants.  IIo  adds,  however,  that  he  had  never  seen  a  s])eciiiun. 
While  at  Sao  Matheos,  and  durin:^  a  stay  of  three  months  in  that  ]iart  it' 
the  coast,  I  lU'ver  heard  the  aninnil  spoken  of,  and  I  do  not  believe  that  it  :- 
now  to  be  lonnd  there.    (Sec  note  on  page  75.) 


rROVLNCE   OF   ESPIRITO   SANTO. 


IL':] 


iii>t  luliiiul  the  beach  ridge,  I'ur  two  or  iliree  Ica^Tics.  It 
is  rather  narrow,  hut  very  (U-ep,  and  vessels  of  eoiisi(h>r- 
iiliji'  size  enter  it.  It  is  navigahh'  (or  some  distance  into 
ilic  iutei-ior,  and  rurnishcs  an  excellent  water  hidiway. 
\r;ir  its  mouth  a  riaclio  *  enters  it  iVom  the  southward, 
and  this  affords  navigation  nearly  to  the  liana  do  Sao  Mii- 
tlicos.  A  caiud  is  being  opened  to  Join  this  riaeho  with  the 
Silo  Matheos.  The  low  lands  between  the  bluffs  and  the 
coast  are  for  the  most  part  timljcred  ;  l)ut  they  furnish  some 
excellent  i)astnragc.  On  the  ltahunas,a  strip  of  sand  niar- 
tiins  tin;  blufis  and  ajjpcars  to  be  the  continuation  of  the  sand 
plain  ou  the  Sao  Matheos.  The  blufis  boi'dering  the  plain 
aic  only  thirty  or  forty  feet  in  height,  but  thev  grow  higher 
as  we  go  westward,  and,  at  a  distance  of  two  leagues  IVom 
llahuiias,  they  arc  at  least  one  lumdred  feet  high.  'I'hey 
have,  as  elsewhere,  steep  sIoi)es,  and,  in  part  at  least,  are 
covei-ed  by  a  very  fertile  soil.  On  the  Fa/enda  of  Seidior 
Olimlo  riomes  dos  Santos  I  saw  most  excellent  croj)s,  espe- 
cially of  niandioca  and  cotTee,  which  were  almost,  if  not 
M'liti'.  e(|ual  to  anything  on  the  Sao  Matheos. 

nil'  ili(>  shore,  in  front  of  the  '  un  of  Itahunas,  are  some 
I'mIocs  of  rock  washed  by  the  waves.  1  could  not  examine 
i!i''iu,  but  I  thought  them  to  Ije  sandstones.  The  Idutfs 
sweep  round  to  the  sliore,  just  to  the  north  of  a  little  riaeho, 
called  Doce,  if  I  mistake  not.  and  a  short  distance  to  the 
S"uth  of  the  first  jtoint  north  of  Itahunas  ;  they  form  along 
th"  shore,  for  a  distance  of  several  miles,  a  line  of  hiw 
'litis,  which,  from  their  whiteness,  havi^  received  the  name 
ofOs  Len(;oes,  These  elitfs  are  nowhere  more  than  thirty 
t"  forty  feet  in  lieight,  this  l)eing  the  thickness  of  the  forma- 
tion exposed  above  the  sea.     The  most  prominent  featm-e 

*  'llus  term  is  applied  to  small  estuaries.    It  means  literally  a  small  river. 


124 


GEOLOGY    AND   PHYSICAL   GKOGRAPIIY. 


in  this  lino  oCclirr.:,  is  a  hard  •rray  grit  with  an  argillaeoous 
conicnt,  and  in  some  i-'laccs  twenty  feet  in  thickness.  This 
rock  is  composed  of  materials  j)recisely  like  those  of  tlie 
sandy  clays  of  Lagoa  .Iii|iaranaa,  and  elsewhere  ;  l»nt  llio 
rock  is  so  compact  an<]  hard  as  to  he  used  as  a  hnildiiii:- 
st<»ne  at  I tahunas,  although  I  lielieve  that  the  stone  uctnally 
used  is  dei'ived  from  (jnai-ries  near  the  village.  Associated 
with  this  rock  are  white  and  red  clays,  and  lieds  of  the 
common,  coai'se,  red,  lavadikc  sandstone.*  The  cliffs  cinl 
at.  or  in  the  innnediate  vicinity  of,  the  lliacho  das  Ostrus. 
a  lit'ie,  hlack-water  stream,  of  whose  course  J  know  nothiiiu-. 
hut  the  hlulfs  continue  along  the  shore  nuich  further.  Hiaclid 
Novo  is  another  l)lack-water  stream,  which,  hefore  emptyiiiu 
into  the  sea,  runs  forsevei-al  miles  in  a  deep  channel  just  hc- 
hind  the  heach  ridge.  The  tide  enters  this  channel,  and  it  i- 
navigahli!  for  canoes  for  a  considerable  distance.  The  whulc 
country  between  Itahunas  and  the  Mucury  is  wooded,  the 
lowei"  and  wet  grounds  very  luxnriantlv,  the  hiuher  and  ilrici 
less  HO,  the  latter  often  suji[)orting  only  a  thick  gi'owth  dI" 
small  trees  and  bushes.  Dunes  of  sand  occur  on  the  sIkhv 
near  the  Mucury,  and  in  one  locality  there  are  exposal  mi 
the  sand-beach  the  stum|)s  of  trees,  rooteil  in  their  soil  ami 
upright,  something  which  points  to  an  encroachment  on  the 
shore  by  the  sea.  1  have  observed  dead  trees,  a[)parently 
mangroves,  standing  in  the  water  olf  the  shore  l)elow  Cain- 
vellas.  Has  there  been  a  recent  dejtression  of  this  part  df 
the  coast  ? 

*  I  was  delavcd  one  mornin-r  .at  u  little  settlement  just  south  of  tl'.e  RiiU'limlas 
Ostnis,  ant!  I  undertook  iv  ciireful  exiuninatinu  of  the  heds  for  fossils,  hut  I  >:iw 
not  the  sli;;l)test  traee  of  orj;anie  remains  in  them.  I  lun  sorrv  that  I  was  uii- 
ahle  to  make  notes  on  the  arranuement  of  the  materials  in  tlie  cliff;  hut  tli' 
place  was  like  a  furnace,  and  I  was  driven  away  hy  the  sun,  blinded  and  ex- 
hausted. 


PROVINCE   OF   MIN'AS   GERAES. 


12; 


CHAPTER    III. 


4 


I'UOVINCE    OF    MINAS    GERAF.S.  —  THE    MUCURY    AND    JEQI'I- 

TINHONIIA    r.ASINS. 

The  15i\>in  of  tlic  Mucury.  —  Turto  Alcf^re.  —  Description  of  tlic  TJivcr  lulow 
Siiiiia  Clara.  —  Liixiiriiince  ol'  Fofu.st  W'^^ftatitin.  —  Santa  (JIara.  —  Minas 
("icrMcs  a  I,an<l-locki'il  rrovinco. —  Want  of  Hoaiis.  —  Tlie  I'liiladelpliia  Koail 
iiml  till'  Miicnry  (."oloniuM. — DirtbreiicL'  in  'I'o|)oj,'ra|iliy  and  Soils  ln'twi'e'n  tlio 
T(i;iary  antl  Gneiss  Lands  west  of  Siinta  Clam  —  Unicii,  its  Duteli  Colony, 
Soils  Climate,  liic.  —  Piiiladeljiliia  and  its  German  Colonies.  —  Cireat  Fer- 
lilii\  of  the  Miienry  I$a>in.  —  Characti  r  of  Country  between  riiilaililiihia 
ami  the  Ileadwatrrs  of  the  Mnenry. — The  Basin  of  the  .Je(|nitiiihnnlui. — 
Till'  liiii  I'ardo.  —  General  Geolojrical  Structure  of  tiie  Jeiiiiitinlionha-rardo 
Ba.>in.  —  The  Head-waters  of  the  Sftnbal,  their  Geological  Features  and  Cii- 
tiii'.'a  Forests.  —  Gcolojrii'al  Fs  'on  from  the  Fazen(hi  de  Santa  Barbara  to 
.\ltiM!ii>  Hois.  —  Didicidty  01  ;■  ,    in  Brazil.  —  The  Brazilian  Cani- 

[Kis  —  The  Cliajiadas  between  itinira  and  Calhiio. — The  preat  Callia'o- 
Ani-»iialiy  Valley.  —  INraenificent  View  over  the  Valley  from  the  Chapada  at 
.\;.'iia  da  Nova.  —  Calhiio  and  the  Geoloi,'y  f)f  its  Vicinity.  —  De<cri|ifioii  of 
the  Ciiinitry  between  Calha'oand  Sncnriii.  —  The  Chapadas.  —  Minas  Novas, 
it-  (ieoloL'v,  CiolilMines.  Cve.  —  r)c,  urrenee  of  Gold  in  Drift.  —  Gold-Mines 
'if  llie  Arraial  da  Chapada  ;  their  former  Uiehness  ;  not  yet  worked  out.  — 
Drionipositionof  Clay  Slates  in  the  Minas  Novas  Region .— The  Rio  Aras- 
>iiahy.  —  The  Rio  Jei|Mitinhonlia  from  its  Conflnenre  with  th?  Arassuahy  to 
the  Sra  ile.'^eribed  ;  its  Geology,  Vegetation,  Commerce.  —  The  Salto  Gratido. 

Till-:  Rio  Mucury  takes  its  rise  in  the  province  of  ^finas, 
alioiit  V)0  miles  west  of  Villa  Vicosa,  amouir  the  liinh  lauds 
which  form  the  water-shed  houndinu-  the  basin  of  the  J(>([ui- 
tiuhonha  on  the  cast.  Its  course  for  the  first  seventy-five 
miles,  curves  excepted,  is  approximately  east-northeast,  when 
it  meets  the  Rio  Preto,  a  stream  rising  in  tltc  same  water-shed 


126 


GFOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GF-OGRArilY. 


somo  foi'fy  luilcs  fo  llic  iiorth-iioi'thotist.  This  last  river 
flows  with  a  (•oiii'sc  aliuost  pariiUrJ  to  the  Miiciuy  up  to 
alioiit  the  siimc  incfidiaii,  when  it  rrccivcs  the  little  Ixio  das 
Aiiiericiiiins  eoniinfi'  IVoin  the  north.  It  then  liends  iiliriijith- 
to  the  south,  to  join  tho  Mucury,  the  conihin(>d  waters  of  thr 
two  stiranis  fiowini^  still  southwai'd  until  they  reach  the  Uio 
Todos  OS  Santos,  a  stream  risiuLi;  at  a  point  south  of  flic 
JMueury,  and  i'oviy  miles  south  of  the  source  of  th<'  Rio  I'ro- 
to,  and  ilowinj^  also  parallel  with  the  Mucury.  The  Muciirv 
soon  Iiends  graduiilh'  i  »uud  to  the  cast,  and,  jnakinu'  sev- 
eral broad  curves,  runs  with  a  pMieral  southeast  direct jdn 
to  Santa  Clarr,  on  the  boundary  between  the  provinces  of 
^linas,  I>ahia,and  Espirito  Santo,  a  distance  of  thirty  milos, 
in  a  strai<:^"ht  line,  but,  much  more,  followinu'  the  (M)ursc  (if 
the  I'iver.  The  Rio  Urucu  is  another  river  llowini^  in  a  val- 
ley paralhd  with  the  Todcjs  os  Santos  and  U[)per  ^[ucury,  liiit 
emptying  into  the  ^lucuiy  proper  on  the  right  bank,  sniur 
fifteen  miles  in  a  sti'aight  line  l)el(jw  the  mouth  of  iIh 
Todos  OS  Santos.  On  the  opjiosito  or  northern  side  llir 
Mncnry  receives,  al)ont  eight  or  ten  miles  farther  down,  tlic 
Rio  Pampao,  which  comes  from  the  north,  and  has  apj)!!!'- 
ently  a  course  of  about  sixty  miles;  I)nt  its  upper  watcr.s 
have  never  been  explored.*  Above  Santa  Clara  the  Macun 
and  its  tributaries  are  swift  and  obstructed  by  rajiids,  Imt 
from  Santa  Clara  the  main  river  runs  with  a  very  tortuous 
conrse,  as  a  rh  (Varcia,  to  the  sea,  into  which  it  empties  in 
latitude  18^  G'  S.,  and  ten  and  a  half  miles  sonth  of  the  yAX- 
allel  of  Santa  Clara.  Its  waters  come  principally  from  tiie 
province  of  Minas,  where  it  drains  an  irregular  triangular 

*  Pome  of  the  lands  of  tlie  ^riicnry  company  were  situated  on  the  Pauipiiii. 
The  only  one  who  has  visited  them  is  my  friend  Mr.  George  Sehieher,  one  of 
the  surveying  corps  of  tlie  Mucury. 


PROVINCE   OF   MINAS   GF.RAKS. 


1: 


atv;i.  liiMuidtMl  ;is  I'dHows  :  Uya  lino  rumiiiif:;  due  luirlh  aloiii;' 
ilh  Scit;i  (Ids  AynuM't's,  ci<>-lity  miles,  aiiollHT  line.  \'-\')  miles 
Idii::'.  i'iiiiiiiii<i"  a  little  east  of  iioi'tlieiist,  and  iiiiotlicr  on  the 
siiiitli  alioiit  lid  miles  l(Mig.  and  i-unnini;' east-west  aloiiii' the 
watcr-slieil  di\idinu-  the  hasin  of  (he  Miienry  iVom  tlii»se  of 
llii'  I  luce  and  Sao  Matheos,  This  ti'ianizle  is  a  riuht-anii'led 
(i!ii',  I'^roni  its  sontheast  nntile  the  area  drained  Inrnis  an 
jiivniilai'  sti'ip  some  six  or  more  miles  wide,  alonu"  the  mid- 
ijlc  111' which  (lows  th(.'  river.  In  tlu^  study  of  this  I'iver  sys- 
tem, sevei'al  points  strike  one  as  interest inu:.  The  |)arall(d- 
ism  (iftlie  Rios  I'reto,  Miieui'v,  Todos  os  Santos,  aiul  I'l^nei'i 
>liii\\>;  lliat  they  flow  in  jtarallel  \  alleys,  which  are  evidently 
(|ctcniiini'(l  hy  the  trend  oCthe  foldings  into  which  the  gneiss 
is  thrown.  The  coineitlence  in  direetiou  hetweeii  theeonrses 
(if  die  l\io  das  Amorieanas  and  that  of  the  Rio  Treio  ahove 
the  Miicury,  and  the  latter  toils  eonflnence  with  the  Tijdos  os 
Saiiti.s.  points  to  a  valley  iMinning  north-sonth,  into  which 
till'  rivers  Preto,  Todos  os  Santos,  and  ^Ineurv  emiitv  as  side 
Iriliutaries.  The  Pampao  flows  in  a  similar  valley.  It  is 
iiitcivsting  to  eomi)aro  the  l»asin  of  the  Mneniy  with  that  of 
file  \hn'v.  In  eaeh,  the  greater  part  of  the  region  drained 
lie;  west  of  the  coast  eordilheira,  while  east  of  the  cordilheira 
till'  ai'ca  dwindles  down  to  a  narrow  strip  hordering  the 
river  on  eaeh  side.  Betwt'en  these  two  river.;  are  intereal- 
uted  tli(>  Sao  Mathoos,  Itahunas,  S:c. 

\\  ilh  tliese  introdnctorv  remarks  on  the  livdi'o<>-rnphv  of 
the  .Mucury  liasin  I  propose  to  give  a  somewhat  detailed 
•I'si'iiptioii  of  the  river  hasin  in  ascending  the  river  to  Santa 
*  lai'a,  and  then  traversing  the  basin  thence  westward  to  the 
iK'ad  of  the  ^[ncnry  Peqneno,  along  the  line  of  the  Santa 
<'lara.  Philadelphia,  and  Afinas  road.  The  Rio  Mncnry,  con- 
trary to  the  general  rule,  enters  the  sea  obliquely  from  the 


128 


GEOLOGY   AND   THYSICAL   GKOGRArilY. 


south.  Its  inoutli  is  luirrow  iiiul  diniciiU  to  enter,  l»('iii_r 
mueli  less  |iiiietiealile  tluiii  the  Sfio  Matlieos.  On  the  left 
hnnk  ut  the  mouth,  liuilt  on  a  snnd-hiiuk,  and  surnjuiidi  i| 
1)}'  niangi'ove  swanqts,  is  the  niiseralilc  little  villa<^e  to  wliicli 
the  riilieulous  misnomer  of  Porto  Al(\ui-e  has  heen  a]t|iliril, 
'J'lie  place  is  of  iniportanLC  only  as  the  j)ort  oi'  the  Muiiiiv 
distiict,  which  e.\|)orts  eolfec,  cotton,  rosewood,  ttc.  Fioiii 
Porto  Ale.ure  larii(5  (juantities  of  salt  are  sent  into  the  inte- 
rior, where  it  finds  its  way  into  the  very  heart  of  the  jnnv- 
ince  of  Minas  CJeraes.  Dry  ^oods  arc  also  imported  throimh 
the  same  chainiel.  The  town  is  one  of  tlu*  most  wi'etclicil  I 
saw  in  Iha/.il.  Its  inhabitants  arc  jirint'ipally  of  Tnpi  oiii^in. 
From  Porto  Aleirre  to  Santa  Clara,  a  distance  of  foi-ty-IJM 
miles  in  a  straight  line,  hut  at  least  lifly-live  hy  the  ri\('r. 
the  stream  is  i-ather  shallow,  very  tortuous,  narrow,  ami 
affordinj!;  naviuation  for  pranc/ias,  canoes,  and  a  very  sinall 
steamer;  hut  the  water  is,  for  a  eonsiderahlc  part  of  the 
year,  so  shallow,  and  the  river  is  so  ohstructed  hy  saml- 
hanks,  that  it  is  naviu-ahlc  constantly  only  for  canoes.*  .hist 
ahove  Poi'to  Aleu're  the  tertiary  hhiffs  ajtpear,  and  siiinl- 
stones  and  clays  arc  exposed  in  them.  At  fn-st  these  \\\n\J> 
are  not  very  hiuh,  in  some  places  measurint^  only  IVdin 
eiuhty  to  one  hundred  I'ovt  ;  hut,  ascendiuo,'  the  river,  tluir 
elevation  increases,  and  at  Santa  Claraf  they  are  some  '1''" 
feet  ahove  sea  U-vel.  At  Santa  Clara  the  whole  thickness  of 
the  formation  is  not  displayed  in  these  hluffs  ;  for,  hack  fnuii 
them  tlic  tertiary  hinds  reach,  in  some  ])laccs,  an  altitude  of 

*  In  tlic  latter  ])!in  of  .Tanuary,  ISGO,  ^fr.  Cdpoland  and  I  ascended  tlio 
river  in  tlie  little  steamer.  The  water  was  so  shallow  that  we  were  coiistanily 
runninp:  npronnd.  A  fvw  k'a^iies  helow  Santa  Clara  we  stnek  fast,  aiul  th' 
rest  of  the  distance  we  had  to  make  in  the  praneha  we  had  l)een  towin'_'. 

t  Santa  Clara  itself  is  3'27  palmos  above  sea  level  which  would  mako  the 
level  9f  the  river  helow  the  rapids  only  a  few  palmos  lowr. 


PROVINCE   OF   MINAS   (JKRAF.S. 


129 


?,Ct()  (('('t  altovo  sea  lovol,  ac'C()r(liii<;  to  actual  iiicasunMuont. 
The  liver  valley  is  vciy  narrow,  ami  the  sides  lia\e  a  steep 
>|(ijic.  'Die  alluvial  lauds  ai'e  suiall  in  exteul.  IJotli  they 
:iiii|  till-  tertiaiT  lauds  arc  covered  liy  a  very  heavy  aud  lux- 
uriiiiit  lorest,  aud  tho  sccueiy  ou  the  river  is  ol"  siu"|tassiu<.'; 
lininty  :  \\>y  heie,  as  on  the  Doco,  the  trees  crowd  dowu  to 
till'  water's  cdtio,  Ibriniug  a  deuse  wall  ol'  verdure.  A  host 
(it'  speeies  of  l)cautil"id-lcavcd  and  liriuiit-llowinu'  cliniliiu!^ 
ji'niiits  hanti"  a  dense  curtain  iVoui  tree  t«»  tree,  and  soniotiines 
(lc|M'iid  in  fc^lds  from  the  outstretched  liraiiches.  like  the  dra- 
jicry  from  the  arm  ol"  an  auti(|ue.  The  tiueiss  first  makes 
its  ;i|i|)earauce  helow  the  tertiaiy  rocks  at  a  place  called 
[Kills  Iriuaos,  some  eitiht  lea<rucs,  more  or  less,  helow  Santa 
Cliii'a.  It  has  a  northward  dij).  At  Santa  Clara  naviti'atiou 
is  made  impossible  hy  a  series  of  rapids,  aud  thence  iido 
till'  province  of  Mimis  tlie  Mucury  is  i-ajiid,  aud  has  many 
I'liils.  At  Santa  Clara,  which  is  only  a  collet^tiou  (d"  a  lew 
ilwcllinirs  and  warehouses,  huilt  ou  naia-ow  alhnial  Hats 
ell  the  rinht  l)auk  of  tho  river,  the  valley  is  vi-ry  mirrow, 
iiiiil  has  steep  hanks.  The  rocks  in  the  ri\-er  are  e'ueiss,* 
wliirh  is  much  veined  with  li-rauite.  'J'his  locality  is  wvy 
uiiliealthy,  owing  to  the  narrowness  of  the  valley,  and  the 
i!iv;it  heat  of  the  day, — which  often  u'ives  way  to  damp 
t'oLis  ly  iiiuht, —  to  the  had  character  of  the  river  water. and 
tu  swanijis  in  the  vicinity  on  the  top  of  the  cluipada.f 


*  The  r>irriii>ian'n  (leixjrnfiro  saj'S  that  iron  ore  exists  witliiii  tlic  district  of 
Pnrto  AicL're,  In  ;  does  not  indicate  the  locality.  Von  Tscluuii,  licisen  dinrli 
Siiij-Aimr.,  Vol.  II.  p.  3^S,  says  tliat  he  has  found  chrysolites  in  the  river-sand 
at  llif  IJivrra. 

■f  1  was  attacked  hy  fever  here,  and  only  escaped  hy  removing  to  the  hii;h 
frroumls  of  Minas.  I  o'vc  a  deep  debt  of  gratitude  to  Signora  Gazzinelli,  who 
ti'ok  a  mother's  earo  of  me,  and  also  to  my  faitiiful  and  generous  companion. 
Mr.  Scliicher,  whose  kindness  I  never  can  forget. 

6*  I 


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130 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


Any  one  gliincing  at  a  map  of  Brazil  will  sec  that  the  ricli 
and  populous  pnninc'e  ot"  !Minas  Oeraes  is  land-locked,  ai^l 
separated  IVom  the  sea  by  serras  and  forests.  The  Sena  du 
Manti([ueii'a  and  the  Scrra  do  Mar  skirt  it  on  the  south,  aii'l 
on  the  cast  the  coast  mountains,  colleetivcly  known  under  tin 
name  of  the  Scrra  dos  Ayniores,  clothed  with  forest,  form 
its  eastern  boundary  line.  None  of  its  rivers  are  naviuahle 
to  the  sea,  though  some  of  them  are,  lor  scores  of  miles. 
navigable  in  tlieir  upper  courses  ;  but  all  of  them  are  ob- 
structed l)y  heavy  falls  or  rapids  in  their  descent  from  tlif 
plateau  to  the  coast  plains.  Many  of  them,  as  is  the  case 
with  the  Docc,  Mucnry,  Jequitinhonha,  and  Sao  Francisco. 
are  navigal)le  in  their  lower  courses,  in  some  cases,  even  u]i 
to  the  confmcs  of  the  province.  Prom  Rio  a  railroad  to  tlic 
foot  of  the  Serra  da  Estrella,  with  a  magnificent  Avagon-i'oad, 
which,  crossing  this  Serra  and  the  Serra  da  Mantiqueira,  con- 
nects with  the  Barbaccna  district,  about  152  miles  in  a  direct 
line  from  Rio.  An  excellent  railroad  crosses  the  Serra  do 
Mar  to  the  northwest  of  Rio,  and  enters  the  valley  of  tlio 
Parahyba,  down  which  it  extends  many  miles.  It  is  to  ]iv 
extended  northward  into  the  province  of  Minas.  But  tlic 
greater  part  of  ^linas  is  destitute  of  wagon-roads,  and  tlu' 
traffic  is  almost  wholly  carried  on  on  the  backs  of  mules.  The 
coast  forest-  and  mountain-belt  Ijounding  the  province  is  al- 
most entirely  uninhal)ited  and  impassable.  A  very  small 
quantity  of  salt  and  other  articles  of  commerce  finds  its  way 
in  canoes  up  the  river  Docc,  as  already  stated,  and  a  larwr 
quantity  by  the  sam.;  means  enters  the  province  by  the  .le- 
(juitinhonha  ;  but  commerce  with  the  sea-coast  is  carried  on 
with  great  difficulty  and  at  much  expense.  Thus,  a  l)ag  of 
salt  that  costs  two  milrcis  at  the  sea-coast  is  worth  ciglit  or 
even  eleven  milreis  by  the  time  it  has  reached  the  interior 


of  Minas. 
twciity-five 
midd  wagon- 
the  broad  lb 
re<ji()u.    A  c 
jilishing  tliit 
alili'  iiunibei 
si'i'iu'cd,  an( 
(Ml.  tilt'  otlu 
Mucury  cob 
(■(■llfiit  wag(j 
Santa  Clara 
Minas  Novas 
very  large  e: 
repicsentatic 
colonists  wei 
rival,  put  int 
It  was  a  bitt 
vii'iriii  forest. 
and  the  villa; 
political  0])pt 
the  dilficultic 
pfiny  failed  ; 
serted  by  wlr 
a  miserable  e 
is  out  of  repa 

*  To  the  Sen 
tioM,  wliidi  secur 
journey. 

'  I  should  sta 
Tho-ip  that  I  liad 
111'  of  a  5:ood,  ini 
cora|iany. 


PROVINCE   OF   MINAS   GERAES. 


131 


of  ^rinas.  The  Senator  Tlieopliilo  Bcncdicto  Ottoni,*  some 
t\\riitv-(ivc  years  ago,  conceived  the  project  of  opening  a 
oodil  wiigon-road  from  Santa  Clara  to  Minas  No\as,  through 
till'  liroad  forest  region  of  the  Mucnuy,  and  of  colonizing  that 
ivuion.  A  company  was  organized  for  the  purpose  of  accom- 
plishing this  object.  Through  agents  in  Europe,  a  consider- 
aliL'  iiunilter  of  German,  French,  and  Swiss  colonists  were 
ficrun'd,  and  two  colonics  were  founded,  one  on  the  Rio  Uru- 
(U.thc  other  at  Philadelphia,  on  the  Todos  os  Santos,  the 
Mucury  colonies  l)eing  founded  in  the  year  iSoH.  An  ex- 
I't'llcnt  wagon-road,  now  out  of  repair,  was  constructed  from 
Santa  Clara  to  Philadelphia,  and  a  mule-i)ath  was  laid  out  to 
Minus  Novas  ;  but  the  colonists  appear  to  have  been,  to  a 
very  large  extent,  of  very  poor  quality.  Through  the  mis- 
ropresentation  of  the  agents  of  the  company  in  P]urope,  the 
colonists  were  led  to  expect  to  find  themselves,  on  their  ar- 
rival, put  into  the  possession  of  a  house  and  cultivated  farm. 
It  was  a  hitter  disappointment  to  them  to  be  sent  into  the 
vii'irin  forest.  Nevertheless,  extensive  clearings  were  made, 
and  the  villages  of  Urucu  and  Philadelphia  were  l)uilt ;  but 
[iDlitical  ojjposition  from  the  enemies  of  Ottoni  was  added  to 
ilie  (lilhculties  the  colonists  had  to  contend  with.  The  com- 
pany failed  ;  the  colonists,  disappointed  in  their  hopes,  de- 
serted by  wholesale,!  and  to-day  the  Mucury  is  dragging  out 
a  niiseral)lc  existence,  Philadelphia  is  in  decay,  and  the  road 
is  out  of  repair.    It  Avas  not  because  the  lands  of  the  Mucury 


*  To  the  Senator  my  companion  and  I  are  indebted  for  letters  of  introdnc- 
tli)n,  wliii'h  secured  for  us  friends  and  assistance  everywhere  along  our  whole 
jmirnry. 

^  I  should  state  here  that  the  worthless  colonists  were  the  first  to  leave. 
Tlio<o  that  I  liad  tlie  opportunity  of  meetirifx  in  the  Mucury  seemed  to  me  to 
K'  of  a  trood,  industrious  class,  but  they  were  crippled  by  the  failure  of  the 
company. 


132 


GEOLOGY   AND  PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


were  not  fertile.  Tlicy  are  exceedingly  rich,  while  the  cl- 
matc  is  healthy  and  agreeal)le.  It  is  not  that  the  project  of 
opening  a  road  through  the  Mucury  to  Minas  was  nnwisdv 
planned,  Imt  it  is  owing  to  bad  management  on  the  jiart  (.f 
the  company,  to  the  slanders  of  enemies,  and  to  the  Inn: 
cliaracler  of  a  large  part  of  the  colonists  themselves,  that  th^ 
enterprise  has  i)roved  a  failure.* 

The  Minas  road,  on  leaving  Santa  Clara,  runs  for  a  iW 
miles  through  a  hilly  region  bordering  the  Mucury.  This 
region  is  covered  l^y  the  ordinary  red  drift  soil,  and  is  v(?iv 
fertile.  Quite  a  number  of  German  families  still  rcniuin 
hero.  Beyond  Barriado,  where  arc  a  few  settlers,  one  somi 
leaves  the  river  valley  and  rises  to  the  toj)  of  the  tertiaiv 
chapada,!  which,  at  a  distance  of  eleven  and  throe  (piartt  r 
leagues  from  Santa  Clara,  and  near  the  Riacho  das  ]^■li^a^ 
is  1,226  feet  aV)ovc  the  level  of  the  sea.  It  forms  a  |ilaih 
like  that  of  the  Sertao  $  below  Santa  Clara,  and  is  well 
but  not  densely  wooded.  The  chapada  is  covered  liy  a 
layer  of  drift  of  a  yellowish  color,  in  which  I  saw,  iiidi" 
criminately  mingled  wilh  the  clayey  sand  of  which  it  i< 
composed,  rounded  and  angular  fragments  of  quartz,  saml- 

*  The  story  of  the  Mucury  is  a  long  and  sad  one,  and  I  do  not  wisli  td  cmor 
into  it  lierc.  Those  who  desire  to  read  the  history  of  tlie  colony  will  tiiu;  a 
very  fliir  statement  of  the  fiicts  in  Von  Tsclnuli's  lieisen  durch  Siid-Aimrtka, 
Vol.  IL     That  of  Dr.  Ave  Lallcmant  is  prejudiced,  unfair,  and  unrcli;ible. 

t  Chapada  means  primarily  a  plain,  but  in  Brazil  the  term  is  ajiplicd  to  t!o- 
vated  plains  or  small  plateaus,  usually  consistinj,'  of  horizontal  (U'])(isirs,  niiil 
separated  by  deep  valleys  of  erosion.  The  term  chapadiio  is  applied  to  diapa- 
das  of  great  extent,  as  the  chapadao  dc  Santa  Maria  in  Minas. 

t  The  term  Sertao,  plural  Sertoes,  so  often  used  in  works  on  Brazil,  sin.;  ■}' 
means  the  interior  of  a  country  as  opposed  to  the  coast.  It  is  ajiplicd,  U 
instance,  to  the  lands  in  the  vicinity  of  the  city  of  Silo  Matheos.  The  wori 
appears  to  have  a  somewhat  indefinite  signification  in  Brazil.  The  iiili;>lii- 
tants  of  the  Sertao  are  called  Sertanejos. 


PROVINCE   OF   MINAS   GERAES. 


133 


stone,  and  gneiss.  This  soil,  like  that  of  the  plains  below 
Santa  Clara,  is  weak,  and  much  inferior  to  the  gneiss  S(jils, 
At  Riaclio  das  Pcdras,  a  little  stream  flowing  into  the  Mu- 
ciiiy,  tlie  tertiary  lands  are  left,  and  the  road  reaches  a 
nilling  gneiss  country.  The  roc'k,  wherever  1  saw  it,  was 
very  coarse-grained  and  homogeneous,  decomposed  on  the 
surface,  and  covered  with  drift  clay,  which  is  usually  vciy- 
fiiic  in  texture,  and  i^erij  red  from  the  large  percentage  of 
ferric  oxide.  The  hills  were  low  and  rounded,  with  a 
to|Migrai)hy  like  that  of  the  coffee  region  of  the  Paraiiyba 
do  Sill  at  the  Barra  do  Pirahy.  Indeetl,  the  two  regions 
are  jirccisely  identical  in  soil,  general  t()[)ography,  and 
climate.  The  country  is  covered  l)y  a  dense  virgin  forest, 
far  more  luxuriant  than  that  which  clothes  the  tertiary 
lilain.^.  The  country  continues  with  the  same  general 
character  to  Urucu,  where  it  becomes  diversified  by  ab- 
nijit  gneiss  hills,  many  of  which  are  bare  and  precii)itous, 
ami  give  to  the  scenery  a  very  romantic  and  pleasing  air. 
The  soils  of  the  Urucu  arc  extremely  fertile,  and  yield  abun- 
dantly coffee,  cotton,  sugar-cane,  mandioca,  rice,  etc.  The 
climate  is  warm,  but  not  so  hot  as  on  the  coast,  and  a 
sea-l)i'eeze  cools  the  air  in  the  latter  part  of  the  day  and 
evening.  The  climate  appears  to  be  healthy ;  and  that  is 
ilie  universal  testimony  of  even  the  discontented  settlers. 
The  hills  of  Urucu  arc  all  isolated  masses,  and  form  no 
well-defmed  mountain  range,  though  they  ajipear  to  be  the 
remains  of  a  range  running  altout  east-northeast,  crossing 
the  Prucu.  Westward  of  the  colony  the  country  rises 
steadily  iu  altitude.  At  a  distance  of  eight  leagues  from 
l*hiladelphia  the  road  crosses  a  pass  in  the  ^[orro  do 
K'lipan  at  an  elevation  of  1,S00  i)almos.  The  Morro  it- 
>»lf  nmst  l)e  at  least  3,000  feet  in  elevation  above  the  level 
of  the  sea. 


134 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAl'IIY. 


Pliiladcljtliia  is  a  small  villa«^c  situated  on  the  left  bank 
of  the  Tudos  os  Santos,  about  forty  miles  aljove  its  conllu- 
cncc  with  tlic  Mucury,  and  twenty-eight  and  a  half  leagues 
west  of  Santa  Clara.  The  Todos  os  Santos  is,  like  the  rest  of 
the  rivers  of  the  Mueury  basin,  only  a  respectable  brook,  aiiil 
of  no  especial  imiwrtance  in  itself.  Within  a  lew  miles  of 
Philadelphia  there  empty  into  the  Todos  os  Saiitos  sevcial 
little  streams,  among  which  are  the  Rios  S.  Jacintho,  S.  An- 
tonio, and  S.  Benedieto,  which  flow  through  fertile,  cultivated 
valleys,  and  arc  settled  l)y  German  and  Brazilian  colonists. 
The  ground  on  which  the  village  stands  is,  according  ti) 
the  measurement  of  Ilerr  Schlobach,  engineer  of  the 
Mucury,  1,01<S  feet  aljove  the  sea.  Many  of  the  neighlMir- 
ing  hills  arc  JjUO  to  400  feet  high,  so  that  the  general  eleva- 
tion of  the  country  would  be  consideral)ly  above  2,000  feet. 
So  far  as  the  quality  of  the  soils  in  the  vicinity  is  concerned. 
I  can  only  reiterate  what  I  have  said  in  speaking  of  Urueu, 
and  repeat  my  eom))arison  between  them  and  the  soils  of 
the  coffee  regions  of  tlie  Rio  Parahylia  do  Sul.  In  one  word. 
1  may  say  that  the  whole  country,  from  the  Riacho  das 
Pedras  to  the  head-waters  of  the  ^Mucury,  forms  one  of  the 
most  extensive  and  uniformly  fertile  agricultural  regions  in 
Brazil  south  of  the  Amazonas,  and  I  cannot  help  expressing 
my  firm  belief  that  nature  having  so  abundantly  blessed  the 
Mucury,  a  not  far  distant  day  will  see  it  teeming  with  iiihali- 
itants,  and  the  highway  of  a  commerce  with  the  interior  of 
Minas.*      The  road  from  Sta.  Clara  to  Philadelphia  is  well 

*  For  an  interesting  and  detailed  description  of  Pliiladeipliia  and  vicinity, 
vide  T.sehudi's  Reisen  durch  Siid-Amerika,  Vol.  II.  Ilis  sketeli  of  the  \i\hvz' 
is  wretched,  the  hills  to  the  south  appearin;^  like  an  Alpine  mountain  range.  I 
cannot  s]ieak  too  stron,<,^ly  of  the  Mueury  as  an  aj^ricultural  rej,non,  and  I  w-niiM 
call  the  attention  of  enii.i;rants  to  it  as  one  of  the  most  fertile  and  healthy  tract;' 
I  have  seen  anywhere  in  Brazil. 


PROVINCE   OF  MTNAS  GF.RAES. 


135 


laid  out  with  a  very  good  grade,  and  with  proper  rei)air, 
niiiilit  1)C  nuide  an  excellent  carriage-road.  'J'he  soil  is, 
liowever,  very  clayey,  and  the  j)assage  of  the  heavy  ox-carts 
ill  wet  weather,  not  to  speak  of  tlie  gullying  l»y  the  rains, 
liavc!  cut  it  up  fearfully.  The  Itridgcs  were  in  had  r('j)air  in 
isiiO.  The  road  from  Philadelphia  to  Alahu  is  nothing  hut 
a  luiseralde  nude-path,  badly  laid  out,  and  obstructed  by 
hushes  and  fallen  trees,  and  in  wet  weather  most  abominably 
iiiiiddy.  Just  before  reaching  A(;ude  it  passes  directly  over 
tlie  b»p  of  the  highest  ])oint,  a])j)arently  for  the  purpcjse  of 
giving  the  traveller  a  view  of  the  surrounding  country. 

\\\st\\ard  of  Philadelphia  the  country  is  more  hilly. 
Aliout  one  league  from  Philadelphia  the  j)ath  crosses  a  high 
liill.  from  which  one  has  a  magnificent  view  over  the  low 
swelling  hills  of  the  vicinity  of  Philadeljdiia,  with  the  rugged 
niuuutains  of  Urucii  in  the  background.  A  short  distance 
west  of  the  mill  of  k^enhor  Jose  Maria,  the  gneiss  becomes 
voiy  micaceous,  passing  into  mica  slate,  and  is  veiy  lull  of 
([uartz  veins.  In  the  latter  occur  large  crystals  of  l)lack 
touriualine.  Crossing  the  head-waters  of  the  Mucury,  near 
Pete,  the  country  in  the  vicinity  of  A(,aide  is  much  more 
hilly  than  usual,  and  many  of  the  hills  are  of  considerable 
height.  The  whole  country  is  still  most  luxuriantly  forest- 
clothed,  and  the  soils  are  extraordinarily  fertile,  and  in  some 
|)la('es  almost  Idack.  About  twenty-seven  to  twenty-eight 
miles  west,  a  few  degrees  north  from  Philadelphia,  the 
water-shed  dividing  the  basins  of  the  ^Mucury  and  Jecjui- 
tiuhonha  is  passed,  and  one  descends  into  the  valley  of  the 
Rio  Hetulial.  For  the  last  league  or  so  bordering  the  valley 
of  the  Setulial,  the  rock  is  chiefly  mica  slate,  with  much 
•  (uartz  in  veins  and  layers.  The  soil  is  redder  than  usual, 
full  of  little  flakes  of  mica,  and   boulders  and  fraunients 


"'-% 


13G 


GEOLOGY   AND  PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


of  (luartz,  aii.uulur  aiul  i-ouiidcd,  arc  found  abundantly  in  it. 
Near  the  jiost,  marking'  thirteen  leagues  from  Pliiladel|)liiu, 
the  niiea  slate  appeared  to  have  a  strike  cast-west.  I>i[i 
vertical. 

Tlic  Jequitinlioidui,  one  of  the  most  important  rivers 
of  Minas  (!eraes,  t;dvcs  its  rise  in  the  knot  of  the  Cordil- 
heira  do  lvs[)inha(;o,  in  the  Serra  Frio,  three  leagues  wc>t 
of  the  town  of  Serro,  and  about  the  same  distaiiee  south- 
southwest  of  the  Peak  of  Itambe,  whence  come  the  waters 
of  two  or  more  of  its  little  tributaries. 

The  area  drained  by  it  forms  an  irregular  triangle,  of 
which  one  side,  from  its  head-waters  to  Belnioute,  is  aboiir 
820  miles.  An  almost  continuous  range  of  ►Serras  runs 
with  a  zigzag  course  along  this  line  to  the  conlines  of 
the  ])roviuce.  On  the  west  it  is  bounded  by  the  Serra  do 
Es[)iidia(;o,  the  water-shed  lying  west  of  the  Serra  do  (liao 
Mogor.  This  side  of  the  triangle,  which  runs  approxi- 
mately north-northeast,  is  It!.")  miles  in  length.  The  remain- 
ing side,  which  marks  a  water-shed  determined  by  a  series 
of  elevated  plains  or  chapadas,  and  which  runs  almcjst  cast- 
west,  is  210  miles  long.  The  Jcquitinhonha  at  first  flows 
with  a  general  northeast  course  for  al)Out  130  miles,  when 
it  receives  from  the  nijrthwest  a  small  river  called  Itacam- 
birussu,  which  rises  in  the  Serra  d'ltacambira,  in  the  suutli- 
crn  |)art  of  an  oblong  region  west  of  the  Serra  do  Grao  ^logor. 
formed  by  a  range  of  serras  or  highlands  which  leavi-  the 
Serra  do  OriTo  ^fogor,  and  bowing  out  westward  join  the  'bao 
Mogor  range  again  eighty  miles  to  the  north.  The  centre  of 
this  region  appears  to  be  flat,  and  is  diversiliod  with  a  larL'C 
number  of  little  lakes,  which  discharge  their  waters  into  the 
Itacambirussii.  This  river  crosses  the  Grao  Mogor  ranui' 
between   the    Serra  do  Grao  Mogor  proper  and  the  Serra 


PROVINCE   OF  MIXAS   GERAES. 


i;;7 


Soltrado,  and  reaches  the  valley  of  the  Jc(initiiihonha.  It  then 
iiiiis  with  a  southeast  course  for  a  few  leagues,  an<l  emittics 
into  the  river  of  that  name.  The  Jeijuitinhonha  then  changes 
its  (•(iiirsc  towards  the  east,  and,  some  eight  leagues  farther 
(|((uii,  receives  the  Rio  A'acaria,  a  small  stivani  which  has 
its  source  in  a  numl)er  of  lakes  in  the  nurthern  tliird  (jf 
the  scrra-enclosed  region  west  of  (tviu)  Mogor.  After  this 
it  rJKiiiges  its  course  to  the  southeast,  and  in  lat.  17^  S., 
loiin-.  1°  ;;0'  E.  of  Rio  unites  with  the  Rio  Arassuahy.  The 
Aiassiuihy  is  a  large  stream  which  rises  in  the  serias  a  lew 
miles  northeast  of  the  Peak  of  ltaml)e,  and  Hows  parallel 
with,  and  on  an  average  of  fifteen  to  twenty  miles,  south- 
cast  of  the  Je(|uitinhonha.  Its  j)rincii)al  afllucnts  are  the 
Rio  Soledade  on  the  left,  and  the  Itamarandiha,  Fanado, 
Caiiiviiiy,  Agua  Buja,  Setubal,  Gravata  and  Calhao,  which 
How  into  it  [Vom  the  south,  or  right,  in  the  above  desccud- 
Iim'  ordcf,  all,  with  the  excejjtion  of  the  Capivary  and  Agua 
Siija,  having  their  sources  in  the  high  lands  se|)ai'ating  the 
.Ici|iiitiidi()nha  basin  from  that  of  the  Doce  and  Aluciuy. 

The  Jequitiidionha,  after  having  l)een  increased  l)y  the 
waters  of  the  Arassuahy,  continues  its  course  a  few  degrees 
cast  of  northeast  to  the  sea.  It  is  obstructed  by  many  dan- 
gerous rapids  and  cascades,  and  on  the  boundary  line,  in  the 
very  extreme  northeast  corner  of  Minas,  there  is  a  magnifi- 
cent scries  of  falls,  which,  in  the  aggregate,  must  have  an 
altitude  of  oOO  feet.  Eight  leagues  farther  down,  at  Caxoei- 
riulia,  it  leaves  the  hills,  and,  reaching  the  coast  tertiary 
]ilaiiis,  flows,  a  broad,  beautiful  stream,  to  the  sea.  Above 
Caxocirinha,  it  is  navigable  of  course  only  for  canoes.  The 
Rid  Pardo  is  so  closely  connected  with  the  Je(iuitinhonlia 
ill  the  general  topographical  features  of  the  country  thr-  1* 
which  it  flows,  that,  before  describing  the  topography  and 


138 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GKOGUAFIIY. 


gcolojry  of  tlic  Joriuitinhonlia  basin  in  detail,  I  will  first  frivo 
a  sketfli  of  its  liydro^'rapliy.     This  rivei-,  a  much  siualKr 
stream  than  the  Je(iuitinh()nha,  takes  its  rise  in  the  Scrra 
das  Almas,  to  the  north  of  the  head-waters  of  the  \'u(;iria, 
and  flows  with  a  course  almost  west-east,  enij)tyin<^  into  iln' 
sea  a  lew  miles  north  of  the  mouth  of  the  Je(iuitinli()iilia. 
and  receiving'  by  a  side  canal,  as  will  be  hereafter  desciilinl. 
some  of  the  waters  of  that  stream  just  before  it  reaches  the  sea. 
Its  basin  is  triangular  in  shape,  long  from  west  to  cast,  Imt 
narrow  from  northwest-south.     It  is  bounded  on  the  south 
by  the  water-shed  of  the  Jeiiuitinhonha,  which  runs  west- 
cast.     The  south  side  of  the  triangle  coincides  with  this, 
and  is  210  miles  long.     The  west  side,  running  along  the 
Scrra  das  Almas,  is  about  sixty  miles  long,  while  the  remain- 
ing side  is  about  195  miles  in  length.    Gerber  gives  the  area 
of  the  basin  of  the  Pardo  as  420  s(iuare  leagues,  and  tliat  nf 
the  Jequitinhonha  as  2,200.*     lIydrograj)hically,  al)Ove  their 
lower  courses  the  two  rivers  form  separate  systems,  Imt  to- 
pographically and  geologically  they  are  very  closely  uiiitcii, 
The  united   basins   are  essentially   eozoic   and    ])alcUi)z<)ic. 
Gneiss,  mica  slate,  sienite,  clay  slate,  quartzite,  and  lime- 
stones form  the  boimding,  mountain  ranges,  and  the  liottnm 
rock  of  the  region.     Through  the  kindness  of  my  friend.  Dr. 
Anto.  de  Lacerda,  of  Bahia,  I  have  in  my  possession  a  litli')- 
grai)hed  section  across  the  country,  from  the  Scrra  Congoiilia 
across  the   Grao  Mogor,  extending  into  the  valley  of  tlie 
Jequitinhonha,  a  section  constructed  by  the  late  Dr.  A'irgilin 
Ilelmroichen.     According  to  this  section,  the  scrras  olCiin- 
gonha  and  Grao  Mogor  are  composed  of  metamorj)hic  slates, 
while  the  intervening  country  and  the  valley  of  the  Jc(iiiitin- 


*  Nocdes  GfographimZ:  <jc.,  da  Prov,  de  Minus  Gerats,  por  Ilenrii^ue  Ger- 
ber, p.  9,  1863. 


PROVINCn   OF   MINAS   GERAES. 


139 


lioiilia  is  composed  of  priinitivc  rock.  1  have  never  visited 
the  SciTii  do  Gruo  Mogor,  and  can  therefore  say  nothing  of  it 
IVdin  personal  observation.*  At  Calliuo  intelligent  persons 
iiifornK'il  nie  that  it  is  composed  of  slates.  The  scrra  is  dis- 
tiiirtly  visible  from  near  Minas  Novas,  thongh  distant  some 
thirty  miles,  so  that  its  height  may  be  inferred.  The  onllines 
ofthe  hills  arc  entirely  different  from  those  of  the  gneiss  serras 
of  the  coast.  Gold  oecnrs  in  this  serra,  together  with  the 
ores  of  otlier  metals,  such  as  iron,  which  last  is  mined  and 
smelted  at  a  locality  called  Troj)inha,  two  leagnes  to  the  soutli 
of  the  town  of  OrJio  ^fogor.  The  region  embraced  between 
Minas  Novas  and  Callnio  is,  according  to  my  own  observations, 
composed  of  clay  slates,  and  this  gronp  of  rocks  nndonbtedly 
extends  considcralily  to  the  west  and  sonthwest  of  Minas 
Novas.  From  near  the  mouth  of  the  Arassnahy  to  a  little 
liclow  Caxoeirinha  the  rocks  arc  gneiss,  mica  slates,  and  the 
like.  All  these  rocks  have  been  folded,  nietamorj)hosed,  and 
(lonnded. 

Daring  the  tertiary,  as  I  shall  further  on  attempt  to  show, 
tlie  ]ilateau  of  Brazil  was  sunk  so  that  the  waters  rose  to 
11  lieiii,ht  of  more  than  8,000  feet  above  their  present  level, 
and  Hooded  the  groat  river  basins  of  the  whole  country, 
this  submergence  being  of  almost  continental  extent.  In 
tho  basins  of  the  Jequitinhonha  and  Pardo.  a  gi'eat  thick- 
ness of  more  or  less  arenaceous  clays,  sandstones,  c^c.  was 
deposited,  fdling  up  the  valley  to  a  height  in  some  jdaces  of 
fully  1.000  feet,  converting  it  into  an  innnense  plain,  whose 
level  above  the  sea  must  be  on  an  average  quite  3,000  feet. 

*  SjiLk  and  Martins  visited  the  Scrr.a  da  GiTio  Mo.^or,  which  they  dcscriljc  as 
lieiii-  only  about  4,300  feet  hij,Mi.  Tlie  prcviiilin^^  formation  of  this  ref,'ion  is 
qiiartzosc  slate  (qiiarz-schiefer).  Boulders  of  wliite  quartz  (sometimes  fiI)rous(?) ) 
arc  iihundantly  scattered  over  the  surface,  and  contain  asbestus.      Gold  and 

iliiinioiub  occur  here. 


140 


GEOLOGY   AND   rilYSICAL   GEOGRArilY. 


These  (loj)osi(s  I  liavo  called  tertiary,  because  aloiifr  llio 
whole  coast  they  are  undistiirlied,  nowhere  j)artici|)atiii^'  in 
the  disturhaiiceof  the  cretacf'ous,  and  because  the  drift  sheet 
extends  over  them.  1  believe  them  not  to  be  drift,  lieci.use 
they  were  denuded  by  I'iver  action  anterior  to  the  foi'iniitioii 
of  the  drill  sheet,  which  descends  their  slopes,  and  cxtciul.s 
over  the  slate  and  gneiss  hills  left  bare.  Similar  deposits 
were  at  the  same  time  laid  down  in  the  valleys  of  the  Sii:i 
Francisco,  Parana,  Parahyba  do  Sul.  And  indeed  over  the 
Avhole  j)lateau  to  the  westward,  as  we  si  U  sec  further  on. 
All  these  are  older  than  the  coast  tertiaries. 

In  April,  18G0, 1  entered  the  Jo(piitinhonha  valley,  on  llie 
Setubal,  and  aftei  making  a  dctuiir  to  Alto  dos  J]ois,  crosnd 
the  country  to  Calluio,  from  which  place  I  found  it  piac- 
ticablo  to  visit  ]\Iinas  Novas,  after  vvliieh  I  returned  to 
Callido,  and  descended  the  Jecpiitinhonha  to  the  sea.  i 
propose  now  to  give  the  results  of  my  explorations  of  this 
I'cgion,  following  very  nearly  my  line  of  travel.* 

The  tertiary  clays  arc  denuded  away  from  the  region  of 
the  head-waters  of  the  ►'^etubal,  and  the  wider  valley  of  tliis 
river  is  scooped  out  of  these  rocks,  the  river-bed  being  flic 
soiid  gneiss  or  slate,  or  excavated  in  alluvial  deposits  hiiil 
down  by  the  rivc".  The  Setul)iuho  is  a  liitle  river  whii'i 
flows  from  the  southwest  in  a  valley  l)ounded,  on  the  one 
side,  by  the  hills  of  the  Avater-shed  between  the  Mucuryain: 
Jequitinhoidia  basins,  and  on  the  other  by  the  tcrtiniy 
plains,  though  the  slopes  on  both  sides  are  of  the  old  nicta- 
mori)hic  rocks,  the  tertiary  beds  merely  capping  the  hills  on 

*  The  months  of  Fchruary  and  INIarch,  18GG,  were  cxecedingly  rainy  e'lr 
the  Miicury  region,  and  so  was  the  month  of  Ai)ril,  wliich  I  spent  in  tlir  Imsin 
of  the  Je(iuitinhonha.  During  this  time  I  was  oI)ligcd  to  travel  over  tiic  wdi'-t 
])Ossible  roads  in  almost  eonstant  rains,  so  that  my  geological  studies  were  iiimli.' 
under  a  >rrcat  disadvantage. 


PROVIXCE   OF   MINAS   GIIRAKS. 


141 


tli(>  iiortlnvost  side.  The  slopes  towaiMJ  tlie  i^etuliiil,  Heiunia, 
and  Sctiibinlio  iiro  all  vciy  steej),  and  lor  a  lar;:e  part  liai'O 
and  cxcessivcdy  stony,  the  soil  heinj,'  full  of  rounded  and 
aiij.nilar  fragments  of  (piartz  often  of  lar^e  size.  Over  hii'^o 
areas  it  is  very  harren,  the  oidy  veg'ctation  eonsistin^  of 
li.)\v,  <inarly  l)ranehed,  sparsely  scattered  shi-nhs  and  trci's. 

One  ()hserves  immediately  on  entering  the  vallt-y  of  the 
Setiilial  from  the  Mnenry  that  the  forest  thins  otit  and  dis- 
aiijx'ars  from  the  hillsides,  thongh  it  extends  down  the  wet 
valleys  and  over  sneh  areas  as  may  have  rich  soils,  hnt  even 
Uierc  the  O^rest  has  not  the  same  Inxnrianec  it  had  in  the 
valleys  of  the  Mucnry,  and  there  arc  many  trees  conlined  to 
eaeli  sepai'atc  region.  It  is,  however,  on  the  open  grounds 
that  the  change  in  the  vegetation  is  most  marked.  On 
leaving  the  forest  (^sahitulu  do  nuitto*  as  the  Brazilians 
say)  one  of  the  first  plants  to  attract  one's  attention  is  an 
arlionieeous  species  of  the  order  of  SolanaceiC,  called  the 
Bolciro.  Tliis  tree  attains  to  a  height  of  fifteen  to  twenty 
foct,  and  forms  a  conspienons  element  in  the  landsca])e. 
Its  l(\^vos  are  light-green  and  cnrly,  its  flowers  bluish-})nrple, 
and  its  fruit,  which  is  of  the  size  of  a  Ualdwin  a})j)le,  is 
edible  ;  Init  of  the  flora  of  the  cami)os  more  anon. 

Tlio  high  and  steep  hill  north  of  the  Hetnhal  is  almost 
hnvi'  on  the  south  and  west ;  but  the  northern  side  is  covered 
l>y  a  stiff  drift  clay,  and  is  clothed  with  a  thick  wood, 
densely  filled  with  a  luxuriant  growth  of  a  species  of  bam- 
boo, the  slender-stemmed  Tiiquara  lisa  of  the  Brazilians. 
Thence  to  Corrego  Grande  the  country  is  composed  of  highly 
mioaeeous  and  schistose  gneiss,  and  is  covered  by  a  thick 
sheet  of  drift  clay,  in  which  are  boulders  and  pe))ldes  of 

*  The  Brazilians  speak  of  the  plains  as  fora,  outside,  and  of  the  forest  as 
dentro,  or  inside. 


142 


GEOLOGY  AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRArHY. 


quartz,  and  the  country  is  wooded.  At  the  Fazendas  of 
Hanta  Barbara  and  Santo  Antonio,  and  in  the  neighborhood, 
tliis  forms  a  rich  soil,  wliich  is  very  productive.  Maize  is 
largely  cultivated  -in  this  region,  and  takes  the  place  of 
mandioca  for  the  making  of  farinha.  Wheat  grows  well 
here,  and  I  saw  some  most  excellent  sheaves  at  a  farm- 
house near  the  Setubal,  but  the  farmers  complain  that  it  has 
to  be  planted  in  clumps  like  rice,  and  weeded,  which  is  very 
trouldcsomc.  At  the  Fazenda  of  Santa  Barbara  the  country 
bordering  the  Rio  Setubal  is  very  hilly.  The  prcvailiiiu: 
rock  is  mica  slate  or  schistose  gneiss,  with  a  general  strike 
of  N.  80'  E.,  and  northward  dip.  I  have  recorded  no  south- 
ward dips. 

Wishing  to  ascertain  the  character  of  the  chapada  west 
of  the  Setubal,  Mr.  Copcland  and  I  made  an  excursion 
thither  from  Santa  Barbara.  The  account  of  the  journoy 
I  transcribe  with  few  changes  from  my  note-book,  in 
order  not  only  to  give  an  idea  of  the  country,  but  of  the 
disadvantage  under  which  the  geologist  labors  in  exploriiii' 
in  the  rainy  season. 

For  the  last  two  months  the  rain  had  been  constant. 
and  it  was  still  raining  when  we  reached  Santa  Barl)ara. 
Our  time  was  very  limited,  but  to  leave  the  Setubal  with- 
out seeing  the  topography  of  the  plains  was  not  to  lie 
thought  of,  so,  on  the  last  day  of  March,  Ave  set  out  on  nuilo- 
back,  and  unencumbered  by  baggage,  for  Alto  dos  Bois,  a 
point  described  as  being  so  elevated  as  to  overlook  the 
plains,  and  enable  one,  if  the  weather  were  clear,  to  see 
across  the  valley  of  the  Jequitinhonha,  and  discern  the 
mountains  of  Grao  Mogor.  It  was  raining  heavily.  We 
crossed  the  Setubal  by  a  bridge  below  Santa  Barbara,  finding 
the  stream  very  much  swollen  and  turbid,  and  the  meadows 


PROVINCE   OF  MINAS   GERAES. 


143 


bordering  it  inundated.  We  followed  up  tlic  valley  a  short 
distance,  passing  through  cornfields  on  the  hillside,  and 
crcssiiig  a  high  hill  by  a  miserable  path  leading  through  a 
woi)d  which  was  so  tangled  with  bushes,  unlia  de  g-alo,  batii- 
hoos,  etc.,  that  it  was  with  difficulty  that  we  could  burst  our 
way  through  it  by  main  strength.  We  reached  at  last  the 
valley  of  the  little  river  Santa  l?ita.  Thus  far  the  country 
was  of  the  same  character  as  at  Santa  Barbara,  and  the 
surface  was  covered  by  the  same  drift  j)aste  and  boulder 
(K'posit.  For  a  distance  of  some  two  miles  or  more  farther 
oil,  after  a  long  and  steep  ascent,  we  reached  the  foot  of  the 
ciiaiiada,  which  presented  a  long,  steep,  even  slope,  as  in  the 
iuUowing  id-  "  section. 


It  was  impossible  to  estimate  satisfactorily  the  height  of 
the  chapada  top  from  the  Santa  Rita  valley,  Ijecause  of  the 
wooded  state  of  the  country  and  the  ol)scurity  of  the  weather, 
but  after  having  ascended  and  descended  the  same  slope,  I 
should  judge  that  it  is  fully  800  feet,  if  not  very  much  more. 
The  lower  part  of  the  slope  is  covered  with  the  ordinary  drift 
paste,  fdled  with  boulders  of  quartz,  gneiss,  and  mica  slate. 
The  quartz  of  this  region  is  so  crystallized  as  to  break  up 
into  a  coarse  angular  gravel.  About  half-way  up  I  saw  mica 
slate  in  situ  traversed  by  a  thick  quartz  vein.     Farther  up 


144 


GEOLOGY   AND  PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


the  soil  changed  in  character,  and,  wlicn  wet,  was  of  an 
umber  Ijrown  color,  and  quite  free  from  stones.  The  r(jail 
went  straight  up  this  slope,  and  being  cut  u})  into  ])ildi's* 
by  the  feet  of  the  mules,  formed  a  sort  of  staircase  uf 
stiff,  adhesive,  and  slij)pery  clay,  which  made  the  ascent 
exceedingly  wearisome.  Arrived  at  the  top  of  the  chapaila. 
we  found  ourselves  on  a  wooded  plain.  The  soil  scenicil 
very  rich,  and  was  of  a  dark  l)rown  color  on  the  surface; 
but  I  observed  that  the  material  lu'ought  up  from  beluw 
by  the  Saiiba  ants  was  clayey  and  brick-red,  like  the  onli- 
nary  drift  paste  of  the  gneiss  regions.  I  saw  a  few  qiiaif/: 
boulders  lying  on  the  surface.  1  looked  carefully  in  ilio 
ascent  for  any  cuttings  which  might  enable  me  to  ascertain 
the  material  of  which  the  chapada  was  composed,  Init  I  saw- 
none.  Tlie  woods  consist  of  large  trees,  but  they  are  i-atlior 
sparsely  sown,  and  they  belonged  to  the  catinga  class, 
losing  their  leaves  in  the  dry  season.  There  is  an  ahuii- 
dant  undergrowth  of  bushes  and  Samambaia  ferns  (Ptcrh 
caudata  {?).  The  beautiful  Indaia  palm  (^AttalccC)  is  veiv 
abundant  here,  and  its  plumy  coronals  add  very  much  te 
the  picturesqueness  of  the  scenery.  It  was  long  afier 
nightfall  when  we  reached  the  open  campos  at  As  Trovoadas 
and  crossed  a  very  deep  valley  to  the  i)lace  called  iJatatal. 
where,  jaded  and  wet,  we  spent  the  night.  The  next  morn- 
ing we  visited  the  Alto,  or  the  highest  point  of  land  in  the 
vicinity.  It  had  been  raining  ;  but,  providentially,  for  a 
half-hour  it  cleared  up,  and  we  had  an  almost  uninterrnpte<l 
and  most  magnificent  view  of  the  country  on  every  side. 
The  Alto  is  the  name  given  to  the  highest  point  of  the 


*  It  is  well  known  that  mules  travelling  over  a  bad  road  follow  in  one  an- 
other's footsteps,  cutting  up  the  road  into  a  series  of  transverse  muddy  tioiigh?, 
separatod  often  by  high  ridges,  over  which  the  animal  carefully  steps. 


PROVINCE  OF  MINAS   GERAES. 


145 


sv\-olling  rUlgc  between  the  valleys  of  the  Faiifido  and 
Capivaiv.  From  this  point  the  eonntrv  deseonds  with 
viM'v  long  sweeping  curves  to  the  river  vall(\vs  on  l)oth 
sides,  the  ridge  itself  growing  gradually  lower  toward  Mi- 
nus Novas.  The  valley  of  the  Capivary  is  very  broad, 
and  in  profile  rounded,  not  angular.  The  long  and  gentle 
curves  of  this  landscape  are  very  noteworthy,  and  arc 
very  different  from  those  which  result  solely  fi'oni  water 
denudation  or  erosion.  The  Fanado  valley  is  of  the  same 
cliaracter.  East  of  the  Capivary  the  land  rises  in  a  high 
ridge  called  the  Caixao,  which  runs  northward,  present- 
ing the  same  topographical  features.  This  whole  coui'My 
is  covered  on  the  surface  with  red  drift  clay  and  ])el)bles, 
and  this  layer  is  twenty  or  more  feet  in  depth.  No  solid 
mck  is  to  be  seen,  but  on  the  sharp  descent  into  the  valleys, 
ami  in  certain  gullies,  especially  at  the  foot  of  an  isolated, 
diinic-sliaped  mass  which  rises  above  the  general  level  of  the 
country  at  As  Trovoadas,  the  rock,  in  a  very  decomposed 
state,  is  seen  to  be  crystalline  and  metamorphic,  and  in 
beds  highly  inclined.  At  As  Trovoadas,  as  nearly  as  I  could 
make  out,  the  strike  was  N.  00°  W.,  and  the  dip  40^  north- 
ward, hut  the  observation  was  taken  from  decomposed  rock, 
and  may  not  be  very  reliable.  The  rock  appears  to  l)e  com- 
posed of  feldspar  and  mica,  with  quartz  in  rounded  grains, 
hat  Avhcii  decomposed  it  is  red,  very  soft,  and  crumbling. 
The  soil  in  the  gully,  where  the  above  ol)servation  was  taken, 
is  full  of  fragments  of  very  limpid  quartz  and  crystals  of 
kyanitc  and  black  tourmaline.*  This  rock  must  be  very  deeply 

*  The  Diccionario  Georjrajico  says  (Vol.  II.  p.  08),  tlmt  antimony  occurs  at 
Alto  (los  Bois,  and  I  heard  many  persons  on  the  Setubal  say  tliat  gold  had  I)ccn 
fiiund  in  the  ridf,'c  separating  the  Setubal  from  the  Cai)ivary.  SaiiU  Hilaire 
also  says  that  antimony  is  found  at  the  Aito.  But  tluj  antimonio  of  the  Bra- 
zilians is  only  a  pyrites. 

VOL.   I.  7  J 


146 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


decomposed,  for  the  freshly  cut  gullies  arc  excavated  to  a 
great  depth,  and  the  river  valleys  arc  evidently  cut  through 
soft  material.  Their  shape  is  not  such  as  usually  result- 
from  river  erosion,  for  in  soft  materials  river  valleys  liave 
sides  either  bluff  or  with  angular  slopes  of  about  thirty  de- 
grees or  more,  and  bluffs  of  that  kind  are  to  be  found  along 
the  edge  of  the  A'alley  recently  washed  out  by  torrents. 

The  tertiary  clays  and  decomposed  metamorphic  roek 
being  of  so  nearly  the  same  consistency,  it  is  not  at  all  won- 
derful that  in  their  denudation  they  should  both  wear  down 
together,  and  that  the  metamori/ldc  hills  should  pass  almost 
insensibly  into  the  plains.  I  believe  that  the  wide  upper 
valley  of  the  Capivary  is  one  of  erosion  anterior  to  the  diU't, 
and  that  the  present  swelling  outlines  and  long  curved  slopes 
of  its  bounding  ridges  are  due  to  glacial  action  over  a 
surface  deeply  decomposed. 

The  hillsides  and  slopes  of  this  region  are  sparsely  covered 
with  coarse  grass  and  small  flowering  plants.  It  was  like 
a  garden.  Trees  are  few  and  scattered,  and  arc  noted  for 
their  gnarly  branches  and  rough  bark.  A  little  palm  (  Coras 
Jlcxuosa^  is  not  uncommon  on  the  camjios.  Anothci'  con- 
spicuous little  tree  of  these  campos  is  the  Pilo  de  Paina,  wliieli 
has  a  small  stem  covered  by  a  thick  growth  of  a  woolly  suli- 
stance,  used  to  fdl  pillows,  «fcc.  It  is  very  abundant  in  the 
neighborhood  of  As  Trovoadas.  Sometimes  the  trees  form 
clusters  {capOcs^  in  low  and  wet  places,  and  along  the  river- 
side, in  the  valley  of  the  Capivary.  In  the  dry  season  these 
campos  are  dried  up,  and  vegetation  is  withered  and  appears 
dead.  The  lands,  though  rich,  are  worthless,  except  as  fur- 
nishing pasturage  for  herds  of  cattle  which  abound  on  these 
campos.*  The  Eraa,  or  American  ostrich  {Rhea  Americana), 

*  According  to  Spix  and  Martius,  from  the  Arraial  do  Rio  Manso  there 


PROVINCE   OF  MINAS   GERAES. 


147 


is  foimcl  on  the  campos,  but  appears  now  to  nc  rare  in  tliis 
vicinity.  It  occurs  more  abundantly  farther  north  on  tlic 
campos  of  the  Rio  Pardo,  and  on  the  canijws  of  the  Sao  Fran- 
cisco basin.  It  ranges  from  Ceara  to  l>uenos  Ay  res.  In 
Patagonia  another  species,  Rhea  Danrini,  is  found.  There 
is  also  a  species  of  deer  (^Ccrvus  campcstris^,  called  by  the 
Miiieiros  Vcado  canipciro,  which  is  not  uncomuKjn  on  the 
plains.  Put  after  a  half-hour's  enjoyment  of  the  niaiiiiilicent 
virw,  down  came  the  heavy  rain  with  a  strong  chilling  wind, 
and  we  left  the  Alto  to  return.  The  steej)  slope  from  the 
cliiipada  to  Santa  Rita  was  so  slippery  and  untrustworthy, 
tiiat  we  were  obliged  to  make  the  descent  on  foot  in  the 
deep  nuid,  leading  our  mules. 

From  Santa  Rita  we  crossed  a  steep,  high  ridge  by  a  road 
terrilily  cut  up,  and  so  full  of  loose  quartz  stones  as  to  atl'ord 
a  very  insecure  foothold  for  the  mules,  and  at  night  reached 
the  river  Setubinho  wet  and  sore,  and  there  we  spent  the 

stretches  northward  a  low  plateau,  in  a  north-south  direction,  for  several 
l(';ij:iu's,  apparently  tying  in  with  the  groat  chapada  forming  the  dividing 
liiii'  between  the  Jequitinhonha  and  Arassuahy,  opposite  Minas  Novas.  "  The 
vvtrctiUion  of  these  uniform,  elevated  plains,  whieh  extends  from  Tcjuco  to 
Miiia>  Novas,  and  gently  decreases  in  height,  shows  a  form  wliich  we  had  not 
ln'fiiiv  observed  to  a  similar  extent."  Low  crooked-branched  aiul  broad-ieavcil 
tri'cs  lift  tlieinsclves  here  and  there  amongst  a  dense  thicket  of  many  kinds  of 
biblus,  whieh  alternate  now  with  hare  rock-sheets,  now  with  thirsty  open  fiflds, 
or,  ill  thv  low  places  and  beds  of  streams,  with  a  somewhat  liigher  and  sappy 
\v(1(m1  (Ciiimo).  The  hush  they  call  here  Sirrach,  or,  wlien  it  is  lower  and 
witlKiiit  trees,  Carrasco.  The  plants  belonging  to  it  do  not  all  lose  their  leaves 
ilurin','  the  <lry  season,  and  in  a  note  our  authors  add  :  "  Particularly  those  of  the 
;:oiipra  Sidn,  Ochna,  ^fimnsa,  Acacia,  Qitalcn,  Coccoh>liri,  Kii'lmci/cra,  Laurus, 
yi/drrositlon,  Arrazoa,  Barnadesia,  Alherlinin,  Amna,  Banintmu,  ihilpvihia, 
Aspidospcrma.  The  stemless  palms,  Astrocuri/um  rampcsfre  and  /)iji/nthnniim 
canijKstrc,  and  the  low  Cocos  flrxHosn,  one  sees  here."  (Vol.  II.  i)p.  47.T,  474.) 
A  vt  iy  interesting  article  in  Danish,  on  the  campos  region  of  Brazil,  from  the 
Jion  of  Eugon.  Warming,  is  to  be  found  in  the  Tidsskrijl  for  pop.  Frccni.  af 
Natumdiiuslcaben,  3"'  Ra;kke,  S"  Bind,  I'"  Ileftc,  186a 


148 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GLOGRAPHY. 


night.  The  morning  fcjund  the  little  river  swollen  to  its  ut- 
most capacity,  and  running  like  a  niill-raoc,  turbid  and  yel- 
low, and  it  was  with  much  dilliculty  that  we  forded  it.  Tlic 
Rio  Hctul)al  we  found  also  in  as  swollen  a  state  ;  mules  ami 
liorses  gave  out,  and  the  weary  travellers  waded  througli  tin' 
mud  many  a  long  mile,  and  arrived  drenched  at  the  Fazcmhi 
de  Santa  Barbara. 

Leaving  Santa  Barbara  for  Calhilo,  I  o])served  near  a  litilr' 
brook  at  the  Fazeiida  da  Lagua  rounded  (juartz  bouldcr.s, 
overspread  by  drift  clay.  Beyoiid  this  the  road,  after 
passing  a  low  flat,  ascends  a  gentle  slope,  on  which  the  same 
arc  seen  at  a  height  of  one  hundred  feet  above  the  brook; 
and  a  short  distance  farther  on  and  higher  up  the  road  U 
full  of  coarse  gravel,  intermixed  with  angular  1)ou1(1(M's, 
Mica  slate  is  seen  occasionally  cro{)ping  out  on  the  hillsides, 
and  on  the  top  of  a  chapada,  before  reaching  the  Fazonda 
of  the  Tencnte  Ilonorio  Ottoni,  I  saw  in  the  drift  paste 
rounded  pebbles.  From  the  chai)ada  one  descends  into  tlio 
valley  of  one  of  the  tril)utaries  of  the  river  Grravata.  The 
hills  of  the  valley  are  mica  slate  and  compact  dark  tiray 
gneiss,  with  a  strike  of  N.  40'  W.  and  a  dip  apparently  to 
the  northeast,  or  vertical.  Near  the  fazenda  are  numerous 
road  cuttings  through  the  hillside,  showing  the  red  drift 
clays  to  be  many  feet  in  depth,  and  contaiu'ig  an  abundance 
of  large  fragments  of  gneiss,  quartz,  and  mica  slate.  The 
river  Gravata,  where  the  path  to  Calhao  crosses  it,  runs  in 
a  deep,  narrow  valley  bordered  by  gneiss  slopes,  rising  to 
chai)ada  plains  above.  I  observed,  in  ascending  the  slope 
to  leave  the  valley,  that,  for  some  five  hundred  feet,  tlif 
slope  was  strewn  with  quartz  boulders,  which  arc  very 
numerous  and  large.  About  half-way  up  the  slope  there  is 
an  exposure  of  a  white  or  brownish  schistose  rock,  much  de- 


■^-CV^']-: 


PROVINCE  OF  MINAS   GERAES. 


149 


rnycd,  which  seems  to  he  wholly  made  uj^  of  very  minute 
and  rounded  grains  of  limpid  quartz,  without  visible  cement 
ill  the  specimens  I  examined.  This  rock  had  aj)[)arently  a 
(lip  of  20°  to  the  southward.  The  relation  of  this  rock  to 
the  gneiss,  or  to  the  materials  of  the  chapada,  I  did  not  make 
out  ;  hut  I  much  suspect  that  the  dip  was  only  local.  This 
chapada  extends  from  the  Gravata  to  a  little  valley  called 
Estrella,  north  of  which  is  a  plain  of  very  wide  extent,  and 
perfectly  level.  I  (ind  in  my  diary  a  note  that  on  the  top 
of  Uiis  plain  I  saw  quartz  boulders  lying-.  Two  little  st  I'oums, 
tilt'  Aiiua  da  Nova  and  Diamantino,  take  their  rise  on  the 
plain,  in  quite  extensive,  shallow,  marshy  lagoons,  but  they 
i^oon  cut  for  themselves  valleys  down  to  the  older  rocks  be- 
neath. These  plains  are  more  or  less  thickly  covered  with 
hushes,  gnarly-branched  trees,  and  occasional  thickets.  1 
saw  no  Indaias  here,  but  a  little  crooked-stemmed  ])alni, 
called  Liciu'i,  the  bases  of  whose  leaf-stalks  were  })ersistent 
for  some  distance  down  the  stem,  was  quite  common. 
Ferns  arc  rare.  Among  the  trees  arc  several  species  which 
produce  edible  fruit,  esj)ccially  the  Mangabeira,  Bacupari, 
Pitjui,  (fee.  Great  numbers  of  cattle  are  pastured  on  these 
plains,  and  grazing  is  one  of  the  i)rincipal  occupations  of 
this  ]iart  of  the  country.  The  cattle  are  allowed  to  roam 
over  the  plains,  and  are  taken  care  of  by  mounted  vat[ueiros, 
who  dress  from  head  to  foot  in  leather,  that  they  may  be 
able  to  lu-eak  through  the  thickets  in  their  chase  after  the 
oottle. 

Tlie  valley  of  the  Agua  da  Nova  not  only  deepens,  but 
grows  wider  in  descending,  and  opens  out  broadly,  on  leav- 
ing' the  chapada,  into  the  great  valley  of  the  Calhiio  and 
Arassuahy.  Running  along  the  edge  of  the  chapada,  at  the 
top  of  the  slope,  arc  occasional  perpendicular  bluffs,  in  which 


•^ 


150 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAniY. 


is  exposed  a  thick  horizontal  bed  of  sandstone,  which  is 
seen  forming  siniihir  bluffs  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  valley. 
This  bed  forms  the  iip[)cr  stratum  of  the  chapada  formation. 
and  may  be  seen  forming  bluffs  of  the  same  sort  along  the 
valley  of  the  Calhao.  The  sandstone  is  white,  very  com- 
pact, and  rather  fine-grained,  bnt  there  are  some  beds  wliidi 
are  coarse,  containing  ])el>l)les,  and  with  a  bar  J,  oi)n<|iic. 
white  cement,  resembling  that  of  the  tertiary  sandstone  (jf 
Itahunas.  Veins  of  milky  quartz  traverse  these  I'ocks. 
They  certainly  bear  an  altered  and  old  look,  bnt  they  aru 
here  surface-layers,  and  have  nev(U'  l)cen  distnrbed.  The 
valleys  of  the  Calhao,  and  of  some  of  the  little  rivei's  west. 
coalesce  several  miles  before  reaching  the  Arassuahy,  leav- 
ing the  metamorphic  rocks,  over  a  very  large  area,  denudtil 
of  the  formation  of  the  chapadas.  This  forms  a  great  di- 
pression  like  a  lake  valley,  some  800  or  1,000  feet  below  the 
plain,  and  which  is  surronnded  on  all  sides  by  high,  Icvcl- 
to])j)ed  chapadas,  which  project  in  capes  and  promontories 
between  the  river  valleys.  The  bottom  of  the  de])ressioii  i> 
diversified  by  hnv,  ronnded,  wooded  hills.  From  the  toji 
of  the  sharp  spur  of  the  chapada,  on  the  western  side  of  the 
valley  of  the  Agua  da  Nova,  one  has  a  magnificent  view  over 
this  great  valley.  It  was  near  the  close  of  a  clear  afternoon 
that  we  rode  out  on  the  edge  of  this  spur  to  descend,  ami 
suddenly,  leaving  the  bushes  of  the  plain,  saw  before  iis  the 
beautiful  valley.  The  level-topped  chai)adas  beyond  the  Aras- 
suahy extended  like  a  wall  to  the  north  of  the  depression. 
blue  in  the  far  distance,  while  below  us  lay  the  billowy  sea 
of  foliage  which  clothed  the  bottom  of  the  valley.  Weeks 
of  sore,  weary  forest  wanderings,  beneath  a  rainy  sky.  ^vel'0 
forgotten,  and  the  heart,  b  niesick,  tired,  and  often  disap- 
pointed, gladdened  as  the  eye  revelled  iu  the  beauties  of  tlio 


""■"vmnf&i:. 


PROVIN't.'E   OF   MIXVS    GICRAHS. 


151 


landscape ;  l)ut  the  sun  was  rapidly  nearinj^  the  Knol  horizon, 
!ui(l  iiur  caniarada  warned  us  that  we  must  tlescciul.  So, 
tiirniiiir  our  mules  into  the  steep  jmth,  we  S(jon  pus.-cd  into 
the  tliiekct,  and  the  landscape  was  lost  to  view.  It  was  as 
wlien,  after  the  curtain  has  dropi)ed  at  the  close  of  the  last 
act  of  an  o])era,  and  the  memory  of  the  brilliant  scenery 
ami  the  rich  music  still  lingers  in  the  heart,  one  wakes  to 
JLcl  (he  sorrows  and  the  realities  of  life  again. 

The  country  bordering  the  Calhao  Rivei",  for  several 
miles  above  its  mouth,  is  composed  of  slates,  which  are 
seen  exposed  in  the  banks  of  some  of  the  little  Iji-ooks 
flowing  into  the  Calhao.*  These  slates,  on  the  right  bank 
of  the  Arassuahy  River  at  Calhao,  are  fine-grained  and  sili- 
ceuiis,  and  have  the  slaty  structure  well  develoj)ed.  'I'hey 
dip  to  the  N.  70^  W.,  at  angles  varying  from  oO'^  to  SO'. 
The  j)lan(is  of  cleavage  dip  to  the  south  '20°  W.,  but  1  have 
omitted  t(.)  note  the  angle.  The  countiy  forming  the  bottom 
of  the  valley  is  much  more  uneven  than  one  wouhl  su])i)osc 
when  looking  at  it  from  the  chapada,  and  some  of  the  hills 
are  several  hundred  feet  high.  They  are  everywhere  cov- 
ered by  the  characteristic  red  drift-clay  on  the  surface,  under 
which  occurs  usually  a  sheet  of  pebbles,  as  at  Rio.  This 
pebble-sheet  is  sometimes  very  thick,  and  being  exposed  on 
hillsides  by  the  washing  away  of  the  clays,  leaves  them  vciy 
barren.  As  a  general  thing  the  country  is  sparsely  wood- 
ed, but  ordinarily  the   forest  (catinga)  docs  not  bear  the 

*  At  the  liertl-watcrs  of  the  Calhsio  Rpix  niid  Murtiiis  found  the  rofk  to  be 
coarse-gniined,  whitish,  unstratificd,  with  little  white  miea,  hut  with  much 
Itlack  schorl,  often  in  lonpj  prismatic  crystals.  They  state  that  it  is  covered  hy 
a  layer  of  ^ray  or  white  pebbles  of  (juartz  containinj,'  (/risollt/is  (crysohcryl) 
of  a  t:reeuish-white,  pale  ochre,  or  citron-yellow  color,  and  others  of  an  oiive, 
grass,  or  blue-irrcen  color  {Ai/chis  mnrinhas),  precious  garnets  and,  white  and 
bright  blue  topazes,     (Vol.  II.  p.  502.) 


152 


GEOLOGY    AND    PHYSICAL    GLOGHAl'HY 


sauic  liixiiriiiiit  look  ius  lluit  of  llio  Mticiiry,  and  resem- 
bles a  sccoiitl  urowdi.  1  have  obs(\''V(Ml  iinineiisc  ail)(»- 
resceiit  caetuscs  (  Crreua)  growing  in  \\\v.  woods  near 
(.'alliao.*  Tlu'  higher  lands  are  apt  to  be  diy,  though  the 
Hoil  would  otherwise  be  I'ertile,  and  during  the  dry  season 
tlu.'  trees  lose  their  leaves.  The  river-l)orders,  or  furznis, 
are  very  ]irodue(ive.  Cotton  seems  to  be  the  j)rineij)al  [nd- 
duet,  and  it  is  of  ex(!ellent  (luality.  One  thousand  eaiKtc- 
loads  were  sent  down  the  .Je(iuitinhonha  to  the  sea  in  mic 
year,  but  a  very  eonsiderable  (juantity  of  the  eotton  is  niauu- 
faetnred  at  home  into  eoarsc  cloths,  <fcc.  Largo  (inaulitios 
of  corn,  beans,  ite.  are  raised  here.  Calluio  is  a  village  of 
rcs])cetal»le  size,  situated  on  the  i-ight  bank  of  the  Arax- 
suahy,  at  its  Junetion  with  the  Calhau,  which  is  so  sniall. 
and  ordinarily  so  shallow,  that  the  negrowomen  wad(!  across 
it  to  fdl  their  water-jars  in  the  Arassuahy.  At  Calhao  tlif 
latter  river  is  al)ont  the  si/.e  oi"  the  Mucury  below  Saiiia 
Clara.  Calhao  derives  its  importance  from  being  a  sort 
of  centre  of  the  salt-trade  with  the  coast  via  the  Jciiui- 
tinhonha. 

At  the  point  where  tl:  path  from  Calhao  to  jMinas  Novas 
crosses  the  Rio  Setnbal  gray  quartzites  are  exposed,  willi  a 
strike  of  N.  0;")°  E.,  dip  8iV  southeastward.  At  the  jwssaQc 
of  the  Corrcgo  de  f^ao  Joiio  nne-grained  siliceous  uray 
schists  are  seen,  strike  N.  GO-"  E.,  dip  88^  to  00^  southeast- 
ward ;  and  at  the  i)assage  of  the  Sucuriu  the  same  rock  is 
seen,  and  an  oliservation  gave  strike  N.  60"^  E.,  dip  8(P  N. 

*  Saint  Ililairc  says :  "  In  {roncral  the  caotTisos  in  tlio  ])rovincc  of  Mina? 
apjicar  to  bcloni;  to  the  catin<j;as  in  the  neif^hborhooil  of  the  Arassiialiy  and 
Je(iuitinIionha,  for  I  liavc  not  mot  with  a  sinuio  species  cither  in  tiic  Geracs, 
properly  so  called,  or  in  the  carrasrofi.  (Vol.  II.  Parti,  p.  103.)  The  same 
author  calls  attention  to  the  number  of  Harriirudo  trees  (Dombax),  and  the 
absence  of  Jlelanostomaccous  plants  in  the  catin<ras. 


PROVLNCK    Ol'    MINAS   UKHAES. 


153 


At  the  villa  of  Sucuriu  the  same  rock  is  seen,  strike  N. 
:',(J  H.,  (li|)  .")0°  S.  Oil  the  west  side  of  the  Corrego  di'  Suo 
.Idfio  there  is  an  outlying  ehapada,  the  southern  side  of  which 
jUTsents  a  red  and  white  cliff,  in  which  arc  exposed  horizon- 
liil  white  lieds,  wdiich,  1  was  infoi-nicd,  ai'e  composed  of  ta- 
hiitinga,  or  clay  over  which  is  a  thick  bed  of  red  (h'ift-carth, 
siirh  !is  is  seen  everywhere  covering  tl\e  conntry.  'Die  (h'ift, 
!is  well  as  the  sand  and  gravel  of  the  streams  in  the  vi- 
cinity of  Sncnrii'i,  contains  gold,  but  in  small  (piantities,  1 
saw  a  few  old  abandoned  workings.  West  of  Sucuriu  the 
road  |tasses  over  a  ehapada,  and  descends  into  the  valhy  of 
die  S.iciu'ii'i,  which  is  l)ordercd  by  high  slate  hills,  and  then 
ascends  to  a  cdiapada  which,  ])eilectly  level  and  covered  by 
carrasco,  extends  for  a  league  to  the  Tvio  d'Agna  Snja.* 
This  chai)a(la  is  ])recij>itous  along  the  edges,  and  is  covered 
liy  a  thick  bed  of  red  drift-clay,  under  which  a|)peais  to  lie 
a  sheet  of  gravel,  wduch  in  some  places  is  cemented  by 
oxide  of  iron,  and  forms  a  conglomerate.  From  the  borders 
ufdiis  chajjada  one  has  the  most  extended  views  of  the  sur- 
rounding countiy,  and  in  clear  weather  the  higher  points  of 
(ho  Scrra  do  Grao  Mogor  arc  distinctly  visible. 

Th(>  vall(\y  or  canon  of  the  Agua  Snja  in  some  jdaces  cuts 
through  (he  whole  ehapada  formation  to  the  metamorphic 
rocks  below,  and  is  very  deep  and  narrow.  This  rivei-  flows 
northward  into  the   Arassuahy.     After  crossing  a  narrow 

*  The  grass  and  bushes  of  the  campos  arc  infested  by  the  carapato  {Ixoilea 
rkinns),  a  wood-tick  whicli,  swept  off  by  contact  witli  tiie  garments,  attaches 
it?clf  liy  hundreds  to  tlie  skin,  and  can  only  be  detaciicd  by  tlic  application  of 
toliacco  or  something  of  the  kind.  Strangers  are  apt  to  suffer  severely  from  the 
irritation  caused  by  these  disgusting  creatures.  Even  the  Jaboti  tortoise  is  at- 
tacked by  them.  When  allowed  to  remain,  the  animal  feeds  on  the  juices  of  its 
prfy  until  its  body  becomes  as  large  as  a  castor-bean,  to  which  in  shape  and 
color  it  bears  a  dose  resemblance. 
7* 


154 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   r.F.OGRAPHY. 


chtipada  anotlM-r  canon  is  roachcd,  llial  of  the  Rio  d'Aiiiia 
Liinpa  or  Miiu  d'Aj;iia,  a  little;  rivor  llovviii;:;  into  the  Aixiia 
Suja.*  The  banks  of  these  valleys  are  wooded,  and  jjds.sc.ss 
a  I'ei'lile  soil.  At  the  ibi'd  slates  of  ordinary  (|nality  ui" 
seen.  Strike  N.  otr  E.,  clip  7U'  sontheastward.  JJetwirn 
the  Capivary  and  Minas  N(jvaH  the  eoinitry  is  very  liillv 
and  barren,  the  vegetation  bcint;-  of  the  charaeter  of  ihr 
cani{)0s.  In  the  nnnierons  rain-gnllies  in  the  niiilc-patlis 
the  drift  is  cnt  thron^h,  and  decomposed  shitcs  are  ex- 
posed. They  arc  as  soft  as  the  drift-elay,  and  were  it  not 
for  the  dillerent  tints  of  the  laminie  and  the  (piartz  veins 
which  traverse  them,  it  wonld  l)e  dilTicnlt  to  rccogni/,(!  tlicin 
as  a  metaniorphic  rock  decomposed  in  situ.  The  RiheinKi 
do  Meio  is  a  brook  cmjjtying  into  the  Capivary,  from  the 
sands  of  which  gold  has  been  obtained.  Spix  and  Mar- 
tius  have  left  us  the  followin}^  gra[)hic  [jicturo  of  this  part 
of  the  country  :  — 

"  The  thick  wood  appeared  to  us  a  wide  grave,  for  the 
dry  season  had  strii)ped  off  all  ornament  of  leaves  and 
flowers;  oidy  once  in  awhile  thoi""  species  of  s;«//(/.?'.  or 
cord-like  twists  of  6'w«i<.s",  set  with  si.igle  leaves,  climbed  up, 
or  the  stately  flower-panicles  of  Bromclias  stretched  them- 
selves out  from  among  the  branches Thorny  acacias. 

many-branched  Anilirfc  and  Copaiferw,  and  fig-trees  rich  in 
milk,  appeared  here  in  exceeding  plenty  ;  but  what  most 
pleased  us  were  the  giant  stems  of  CItorisicc  (^Chorisin  veth 
tricosa),  which,  contracted  above  and  l)elow%  were  swollen  in 
the  middle  like  huge  casks,  their  cork-like  bark  being  beset 
with  stout  shining  brown  spines.  Here  huge  bundles  of 
parasitic  plants  depended  from  the  branches.    Here  myriads 

*  I  give  the  names  on  the  authority  of  my  guide.     According  to  Gcrbeij 
map,  tlie  eastern  stream  is  the  Agua  Limpa,  the  other  Agua  Suja. 


'  "'"JtWiSis.iu 


!5CTi 


PROVINCE   OF   MINAS   GERAKS. 


155 


of  ants  liavo  hung  from  tlio  hnmclcs  their  ncats  full  of 
Dii'ilaliuii  wiiulin^'s,  uiid  which,  with  a  circuniforoiico  of  sov- 
ciiil  I'ci'f,  contrasted  straiij^oly  in  their  hlack  color  with  the 
liii::lil  ^M'ay  of  the  Icalless  hram-hes.  The  autumnal  torpid 
wood  echoed  with  the  cry  of  many  kinds  of  birds;  esjjocially 
croakiuii:  araras  and  pirujitUos.  Shy  arnuidillos  and  anteat- 
crs  (  Ddsijpiis  scptvmi'inctus  and  Mt/rniirop/id^'d  k'traddctffhi) 
mot  us,  ....  and  slu<j,'gis)"  sloths  {Bi'(i(///piis  tridact//liis) 
liiiiig  stupidly  from  the  white  branches  of  the  emhanlta 
{ Or ropia  pcltata},  whidihcvQ  and  there  rose  amoni;  the 
rest  of  the  trees,  liords  of  ]i(nvlin<>:  nionkevs  were  heard 
ill  tlic  distance.  The  high  dry  grass  was  covered  with 
crowded  halls  of  little  earapatos,  wliich,  when  we  accident- 
ally disturbed  them,  scattered  themselves  with  lightning-like 
rai)iility  over  us,  and  excited  a  painful  itching.  Not  infre- 
quently a  snake  was  heard  in  the  thicket  by  the  traveller 
riding  hastily  by."  * 

1  ))assed  through  this  same  region  in  the  wet  season, 
when  the  trees  were  all  in  leaf,  and  the  Avoods  looking 
gay  and  jtleasant.  I  saw  scarcely  any  animals.  I  heard 
smne  guaribas  howling;  but  neither  armadillos,  sloths,  nor 
snakes  of  any  kind  were  seen.  It  is  a  very  mistaken  idea, 
oaivfnliy  spread  abroad  by  our  geographies  and  ])opular 
works  and  pictnrcs,  that  one  may  everywhere  ex])cct  to  see 
ill  the  Hrazilian  forests  great  boas  wreathed  about  the  trees, 
and  all  manner  of  birds  and  beasts  in  profusion.  I  have 
ridden  day  after  day  through  the  virgin  forest  without  seeing 
or  hearing  anything  worth  shooting,  and  nothing  more  dan- 
gerous than  a  wasj) ! 

In  the  year  1727  Sebastiao  Lcme  d.  Prado,  with  a  band 
•if  Paulistas,  travelling  northward  thr  \igh  the  province  of 

*  Spix  and  Martius,  Reise,  Vol.  II.  i)p.  499,  500. 


156 


GEOLOGV  AND   PHYSICAl    GEOGRArilY. 


Minas,  discovered  gold  in  the  river  Bom  Successo,  and  gavo 
it  the  name  which  it  bears  He  established  here  regular 
mining  operations,  and  founded  the  city  now  known  as  Minas 
Novas,  which  grew  to  be  a  flourishing  town.  The  })rcci()u.s 
metal  was  also  discovered  elsewhere  in  the  vicinity,  and  in 
especial  abundance  on  the  hills  bordering  the  Rio  Capivary 
near  the  Arraial  da  Chapada,  where  it  was  very  exten- 
sively mined.  The  gold  was  princi])ally  obtained  from  the 
sands  and  gravel  of  the  river,  and  from  the  gravel  sheet 
underlying  the  drift-clays  on  the  slopes  and  t(jj)S  of  die 
hills.  Very  little  gold  was  extracted  from  the  veins  of  the 
quartz,  some  of  which  were  known  to  be  richly  auriferous. 
The  hills  arc  dry,  and  water  is  to  be  found  only  in  tlic 
rivers,  which  during  the  greater  part  of  the  year  affoi-d  a 
good  supply,  so  that  the  washing  of  the  gravels  on  tln' 
high  grounds  was  attended  with  much  difficulty.  Ditches. 
or  rcgas,  were  dug  round  the  hills  to  collect  rain-water, 
which  was  brought  into  tanks,  and  in  some  of  the  washings 
all  the  water  used  was  derived  from  this  source  ;  and  at 
Minas  Novas  and  Chapada,  washings  said  to  be  ricli  were 
pointed  out  to  me  as  abandoned  because  of  the  scarcity  of 
water,  when  just  below,  a  hundred  feet  or  more,  tumbled  a 
dashing  stream.  Notwithstanding  the  disadvantages  under 
which  these  old  miners  labored,  a  large  extent  of  ground 
was,  as  we  shall  sec,  worked  over,  and  an  immense  (puuitity 
of  gold  was  extracted  according  to  one  authority  iSOO  arrobas 
(=9,G00  lbs.  avoirdupois)  being  sent  to  Bahia  alone.  ]\huiy 
large  nuggets  were  discovered  in  these  mines.  In  the  Lavia 
do  Batatal  a  lump  weighing  '28  lbs.  was  found.  In  1740  dia- 
monds were  discovered  in  the  vicinity  of  Diamantina,  and 
government  prohibited  the  extraction  of  gold  in  order  to 
encourage  the  search  for  diamonds.     This  prohibition  i)ut  a 


of  Xova  Scotii 


PROVINCE   OF   MINAS   GERAES. 


1.17 


pfop  to  the  gold-milling  of  Minas  Novas,*  and,  though  the 
]in)liil)itioii  has  l)ecn  removed,  the  l)lo\v  has  been  fatal,  for 
litllc  uold-niining  has  since  been  carried  on,  ami  the  present 
inhaliitauts  content  themselves  with  agricultural  pursuits, 
or  help  to  swell  the  number  of  miners  who  wash  for  dia- 
niDiids  on  the  Rio  Je(iuitinlioiilia.  The  gold-mines  are 
to-day  j)racti<;ally  abandoned,  but  the  idea  that  they  were 
worked  out  is  very  erroneous.  At  ^liiias  Novas  and  Cha- 
j);iilii  tlie  roclis  are  slates  and  quartzites,  and  resemble  very 
oloscly  those  of  the  gohi  region  of  Nova  Hcotia.  Indeed,  it 
was  the  strong  resemblance  borne  by  the  slates  of  Caihao 
and  the  vicinity  '^o  tlic  Nova  Scotiaii  gold-liearing  roclcs 
that  aroused  my  interest,  and  led  me  to  turn  out  of  my 
way  to  visit  Miiias  Novas.  These  rocks  evidently  overlie 
tlic  mica  slates  which  flank  the  gneiss  of  the  coast  belt, 
and  I  believe  they  will  prove  to  be  Lower  Hilurian  in  age.f 
At  Minas  Novas  their  strike  is  N.  42^  to  50^  E.,  and  their 
(lip  is  vertical.  They  are  traversed  by  great  numbers  of 
milky-quartz  veins,  some  of  which  arc  well  known  to  be 
auriferous.  Some  of  these  veins  are  of  coiisideral)lc  dimen- 
sioiis.  In  an  enormous  gully  cut  out  by  the  surface  waters 
in  tlie  hillside  above  the  cemetery  on  the  Bom  Successo  at 
Minas  Novas  are  several  fine  veins  of  corrugated  cpiartz.J 
These  veins  run  nearly  vertically  through  the  rock,  and  may 
l)e  beds  instead  of  veins.  As  they  arc  exposed  in  the  clitT 
tliiw  i)rcsent  the  appearance  of  vertical  fissures,  in  which 
cylindrical  masses  of  quartz  are  piled  in  a  single  row,  their 

The  city  is  in  decay,  and  is  to-day  of  very  little  importance.  The  cotton 
raisi-d  in  its  vicinity  lias  a  very  excellent  reputation  in  Brazil ;  similar  lands 
in  P.;i]ii;i  and  Pernamt)uco  produce  a  good  quality  of  cotton. 

+  Perhaps  Quebec  group. 

t  Tlip<e  appear  to  have  precisely  the  same  structure  as  the  "  Barrel  quartz  " 
ol'  Nova  Scotia. 


158 


GEOLOGY   AND  PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


ends  projecting  like  logs.     Some  of  these  cylinders  of  qiiaitz 
are  two  feet  in  diameter.     In  section  they  appear  as  rcpro 
sented  by  the  accompanying  woodcnt.     I  spent  some  tiino 
in  an  examination  of  this  vein  for  gold, 
but  could  detect  none.     The  large  size  of 
the  quartz  veins  of  the  vicinity  may  be  in- 
ferred from  the  dimensions  of  the  quartz 
boulders  scattered  over  the  surface,  some 
of  which  weigh  many  tons.   I  am  not  aware 
that  any  auriferous  vein  has  been  worked 
at  or  near  Minas  Novas,  but  at  the  Arraial 
da  Chapada  several  were  anciently  more  or 
less  worked.     A  rich  vein,  according  to  universal  testimony, 
crosses  the  pram,  and  it  is  well  known  that  one  miner  fol- 
lowed it  in  secret  until  he  undermined  his  neighbor's  lious^e, 
when  his  secret  was  let  out.     There  one  hears  the  terms 
"  vein  "  and  "  gravel  "  gold,  and  I  saw  many  beautiful  spe- 
cimens of  crystallized  gold  in  the  hands  of  the  inhabitants, 
some  of  which  were  taken  directly  from  quartz  veins,  tliougii 
it  is  true  others  were  obtained  from  quartz  boulders.    There 
can  be  no  doubt  that  rich  auriferous  lodes  exist  in  the  neijjli- 
borhood,  which  have  never  been  explored,  and  which  one  day 
must  be  developed,  for  all  the  gold  which  so  richly  aljouuds  in 
the  drift  nmst  have  come  from  the  underlying  rocks.*    In  tlie 
Minas  Novas  region  I  have  seen  no  signs  of  gneissoso  rocks, 
itacolumite,  or  ita!)arite  associated  with  the  auriferous  slates. 
The  slates,  etc.,  of  the  valley  of  the  Jequitinhonlia  arc 
decomposed  to  a  great  depth,  and  are  as  soft  as  eartli.  nnd 
can  be  easily  worked  with  a  spade.     This  decom))OS(Ml  rock, 
which  is  of  a  bright  red  color,  preserves  its  lamination,  and 
the  quartz  veins  traverse  it  as  in  tlic  solid  rock.     Exoellent 


*  For  an  account  of  the  gold-mines  of  other  parts  of  Brazil,  sec  further  on. 


P-SS9K 


PROVINCE   OF   MIXAS    GERAKS. 


150 


opporhinitics  for  the  cxaininatiou  of  it  arc  afforded  at  ^liiias 
Novas  and  elsewhere  liy  the  enormous  <rullies  swept  out  in 
it  1)11  tlie  hillsides  by  the  uiountaiii  torrents.  Some  of  these 
gullies  are  more  than  100  feet  deep,  and  show  at  the  same 
time  lliL-  very  finest  seetions  of  the  drift.  Near  the  Arraial 
(la  (,'hapaila  the  bright  red  cliffs  of  these  ravines  are  very 
roiisiiicuous  elements  in  the  landseajic,  and  scmie  parts  of 
the  I'ouiitry  appear  as  if  scored  by  a  giant  plough.  Burton 
iltsciihes  similar  gullies  in  other  parts  of  ]\linas  and  in  !^ao 
I'aiilo.  Ill  the  latter  country  they  have  received  the  name 
of  rossororas.  Burton  suj)poses  they  were  formed  l)y  the 
giving  way  of  a  hillside  imder  the  hydrostatic  pressure 
caused  by  the  soaking  of  the  mass  by  water  ;  and  he  says 
that  the  ground  breaks  away  suddcnlj;  with  the  force  of  an 
eruption,  Ihe  hollow  in  the  hillside  thus  formed  being  after- 
ward excavated  to  a  greater  size  and  dejith  liy  rains  and 
streams,  which  sometimes  gush  out  of  the  liead  of  these 
(rullies.  The  gullies  which  I  saw  did  not  strike  me  as 
having  been  formed  in  this  way.  I  supposed  that  they  had 
licou  hollowed  out  with  more  or  less  rapidity  liy  the  ac- 
tion of  surface  water,  perhaps  aided  by  si)rings,  and  with- 
out a  regular  land-slide.  The  surface  of  the  undisturbed 
decomposed  rock  is  always  well  marked,  and  has  a  regu- 
larly rounded  contour  like  that  of  the  gneiss,  and  is  never 
iriOLHilar  and  jagged  like  a  water-woni  surface.  The  de- 
composed rock  is  immediately  overlaid  by  a  sheet  of  cas- 
callio,  or  quartz  pebbles,  whose  thickness  varies  from  a  few 
indios  to  eight  or  more  feet.  The  pebbles  arc  of  all  sizes, 
iui'l  arc  more  or  less  rounded.  I  observed  in  several 
localities  that  there  were  large  boulders  lying  in  this  gravel 
just  above  the  rock.  The  cascalho  is  often  so  cemented 
hy  ferric  oxide  as  to  form  a  conglomerate,  which  requires 


160 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


to  be  broken  up  before  it  is  washed  for  gold.  Like  the 
drift  pebble  sheet  of  the  coast,  it  forms  a  concentric  layer 
wrapped  over  the  whole  rock  surface  of  the  hills,  and  it 
is  found  lying  on  very  high  slopes  and  piled  up  i.i  masses 
such  as  water  never  deposits. 

It  is  in  the  cascalho  that  the  greater  part  of  the  gold 
of  Minas  Novas  and  vicinity  occurs.  Over  this  gravel  lies 
a  mass  of  red  drift-clay,  varying  very  much  in  thickness. 
from  a  fcAV  inches  to  fifty  feet  or  more.  This  is,  like  ijio 
drift-clays  of  the  coast,  a  homogeneous  mass,  through  wliiih 
are  scattered  from  time  to  time  angular  and  rounded  quartz 
boulders  of  large  size.  Over  large  tracts  between  Miiuis 
Novas  and  the  Arraial  da  Chapada  this  sheet  of  clay  is  s^ 
thin  that  the  cascalho  bed  lies  on  the  surface,  and  the 
country  is  consequently  stony  and  barren.  The  clay  con- 
tains sometimes  more  or  less  gold.  It  is,  however,  to  the 
cascalho  sheets  that  the  search  for  the  precious  metal  has 
been  principally  confined.  The  gold  occurs  disseminateil 
through  the  gravel  in  flattened  grains,  and  occasional  luin- 
gets  of  considerable  size,  which  are  always  in  a  crushed  and 
battered  state.  The  process  of  extraction  was  similar  tn 
that  described  by  Mawe  as  employed  at  the  mines  of  -lara- 
gud  in  Sao  Paulo,  and  which  I  shall  further  unfold  in  the 
description  of  that  province.  It  consisted  in  stripjjing  off 
the  clay  sheet  down  to  the  gravel,  which  was  broken  up  and 
washed  on  the  spot  in  rude  trenches  to  separate  tli(^  peb- 
bles, when  the  auriferous  mud  and  sand  were  washed  in 
the  baicia,  or  wooden  washing-pan.  A  great  number  of 
the  washings  were  situated  on  the  tops  of  hills,  or  slopes 
at  some  height  above  the  watei"  of  the  stream,  and  in  these 
cases  the  washing  was  performed  through  the  aid  of  rain- 
water.   In  several  localities  water  was  conducted  to  the  wash- 


PROVINCE   OF   MIXAS   GERAES. 


IGl 


inirs  from  streams.  Some  of  the  old  reg-ns,  or  ditclios,  arc 
still  visiiilc  runniug  for  miles  around  the  hills.  The  suj)|)ly 
of  laiu-water  was  of  course  sullicicnt  only  during  the  rainy 
season,  so  that  washing  operations  had  to  be  suspended  for 
till'  rest  of  the  year.  In  the  old  washings,  as  hi  that  above 
tlu?  cemetery  at  Minas  Novas,  or  the  Lavra  da  Santa  Cruz, 
at  the  junction  of  the  Rios  Fanado  and  JJom  Suecesso,  the 
uravcl  lies  in  great  piles.  At  the  Arraial  da  Chapada  the 
same  thing  is  seen,  but  there  the  whole  tops  of  hills  have 
Ikmmi  deprived  of  their  clay  coating  and  washed  over,  so  that 
to-day  tliey  are  hoary  with  the  ([uartz  boulders  that  remain, 
the  testimony  of  a  departed  industry.  1  was  intbrmed  that 
the  cust(jm  was  with  the  miners,  as  a  general  thing,  to  wash 
the  gravel  on  the  si)ot.  It  seems  wonderful  that  when  the 
washing  was  near  a  river  or  stream  the  irravcl  was  not  sent 
down  to  this  stream  to  be  washed.  To-day  the  washings, 
tlidimh  owned  by  private  individuals,  who  to  some  extent 
know  flu'ii-  value,  are  unworked,  the  owners  finding  it  more 
profitable  to  pursue  agriculture  or  wash  for  diamonds  in 
the  Tequitinhonha.  Tho  ainmdance  of  gold  over  this  region 
may  be  seen  from  the  nuggets  in  the  possession  of  the  peo- 
l)le,  and  which  have  been  picked  up  on  the  hillsides  or  in 
rain-gnllies.  After  rains  one  sees  in  the  ravines  the  prints 
of  the  feet  of  those  who  regularly  go  in  search  of  gold 
washed  out  by  the  surface  waters,  and  in  the  streets  of 
Miuas  Novas  and  Chapada  little  dams  are  built  across  the 
^mall  rain-gullies  l)y  the  children,  to  collect  water  to  wash 
the  soil  for  gold,  which  they  collect  in  quills,  and  larger 
daius  arc  built  by  the  elder  members  of  the  population 
for  the  same  purpose.  No  one  who  has  been  over  the 
ground  as  I  have,  and  has  seen  the  irregular  way  in 
wliich  the  mining  has  been  performed,  and  the  immense 

K 


1G2 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAl'IIY, 


area  of  drift  wliich  has  yet  been  untouched,  —  drift  "  ich  in 
gold,  as  the  occasional  recent  washings  testify,  —  can  douhr 
that  the  region  is  far  from  exhausted.  It  has  only  been 
forgotten.  My  friend  Mr.  J.  S.  Mills,  of  New  York,  an 
excellent  geologist,  who  lias  discussed  these  ol)servatioiis 
with  me,  has  suggested  that  the  gold  j)roljably  occurs  in 
bands  in  the  drift,  the  direction  of  which  might  1)C  workoil 
out  liy  a  careful  toi)<)grai)hical  survey.  Senator  Thcojtliilo 
Benedicto  Ottoni,  of  Rio,  about  two  years  ago  ol)tained  from 
the  Emperor  a  concession  of  the  area  of  the  Comarca  of  the 
Je([uitinh()nha,  to  ex])lore  it  for  gold  and  other  minerals; 
and  an  attempt,  which  we  hope  may  yet  be  successful,  lias 
been  made  to  organize  an  American  company  for  tlie  jmr- 
pose  of  thoroughly  exploring  and  dcveloi)ing  the  gold-fields 
of  Minas  Novas  and  vicinity.  With  modern  mining  meth- 
ods and  ai)pliances  I  have  the  fullest  confidence  that  they 
would  prove  very  remunerative.  The  system  of  washing  hy 
hose-pipes  could  be  employed  successfully  in  many  local- 
ities. 

Gold  also  occurs  in  the  gravel  and  sands  of  the  streams, 
these  loose  materials  being  derived  in  part  from  the  drift. 
in  part  from  the  decomposed  rock.  Near  the  Ari-aial  da 
Chapada  is  an  outlier  of  the  tertiary  called  the  Scrra  uo 
Macaco,  which  forms  a  very  picturesque  fiat-toi)ped  moiiii- 
tain,  with  escarped  sides,  in  which  the  horizontal  layers  of 
red  and  white  clays  are  beautifully  exhibited. 

Now  that  we  know  that  gold  may  occur  in  any  formation, 
why  may  not  the  lower  beds  of  this  series  be  found  to  1)C 
auriferous  in  some  places  ? 

I  have  had  no  opportunity  of  making  an  examination  of 
the  gold  of  the  Minas  Novas  region,  and  I  know  of  no 
analyses  ever  having  been  made  of  it. 


n^ 


PROVINCE   OF   MINAS   GF.RAES. 


1G3 


Tlic  sands  of  the  Arassuahy  al)Ove  the  Rio  Sctulial,  or 
tliercabouts,  are  rich  in  gold.  I  liavc  never  heard  of  their 
aHbrdiiig  diamonds. 

From  Calhao  I  took  passage  in  a  canoe,  and  descended  to 
the  sea.  On  that  voyage  the  following  observations  were 
made  on  the  rivers  Arassuahy  and  Jequitinhotiha. 

At  Calhao  the  Arassuahy  is  about  as  large  as  the  Silo 
^hitlieos.  Its  current  is  strong,  and  even  during  the  dry 
season  it  contains  much  water.  The  country  on  Itoth  sides 
of  tlio  river  below  Calluio  is,  generally  speaking,  low  and 
unc\cn  u})  to  the  foot  of  the  chaj)adas,  while  var^^cns,  more 
or  less  wide,  border  the  stream.  These  consist  of  alluvial 
deposits,  and  afford  a  rich  soil.  Their  height  above  the  av- 
erage level  of  the  river  is  about  twenty  feet.  From  Calhao 
to  the  mouth  of  the  river  the  country  is  sparsely  settled. 
The  river-bed  is  much  obstructed  by  ledges  of  slate,  Ijut  there 
aio  no  rapids,  and  canoe  navigation  is  not  very  difficult. 
At  the  Pontai,  at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  these  slates  a])pear, 
from  tlie  canoe,  to  lie  very  flat,  and  to  be  traversed  by  heavy 
veins  of  a  crystalline  rock,  like  granite,  the  outcrop  of  one  of 
which  crosses  just  above  the  Pontai.  At  this  place,  in  the 
anulc  l)otween  the  two  rivers,  is  a  little  settlement,  which 
the  iidiabitants  hope  may  one  day  rival  Calhao  in  its  com- 
merce in  salt. 

Tlic  traveller  who  has  heard  the  Jequitinhonha  constantly 
spoken  of  by  the  Mineiros  as  a  "  majcstoso  no,''  feels  much 
disappointed  when  he  reaches  it  at  its  junction  with  the 
Arassuahy,  for  it  is  liut  little  larger  than  the  latter  river. 
It  is,  however,  much  deeper. 

Above  the  Arassuahy  the  Jequitinhonha  flows  in  a  wide 
canon,  eparated  from  the  valley  of  the  Arassuahy  by  a 
long,  narrow   chapada,  which   extends   from   the   western 


1G4 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


limits  of  the  clmpmla  formation  well  down  into  llio  nnuL^ 
formed  hy  the  union  of  tiie  two  rivers.  'IMie  ehiipaila 
forming  the  eastern  boundary  of  the  valley  of  the  Cidlu'io 
comes  down  into  the  eorresi)onding"  angle  on  the  oiIki' 
side  of  the  Avassuahy,  so  that  that  river  really  cseapcs  into 
the  eauon  of  the  Jeijuitinhonha  through  a  eut  across  the 
chapndas.  Below  the  mouth  of  the  Calluio  the  river  vallcv. 
comprised  between  the  ehapadas,  is  ({uite  wide,  uneven,  and 
composed  of  mica  slate,  guciss,  &c.  Some  six  or  v\'A\t 
miles  down  the  river  there  is  a  high  hill,  the  Morro  do 
Ariao,  which  ])resents  the  smooth,  })lack-stained,  even  rock 
suriacc  so  characteristic  of  the  gneiss  hills  of  the  coast. 

Fifteen  or  twenty  miles  below  the  Calhao  the  little  river 
Piauhy  enters  the  main  river  from  the  south.  This  stream 
takes  its  rise  in  the  Serra  do  Chifrc,  a  short  distance  to  the 
north  of  the  source  of  tlic  Calhao,  from  which  river  i'  is 
separated  l)y  a  strip  of  chai)ada  called  the  Chapada  do 
Piauhy,  on  the  plains  of  which  herds  of  cattle  arc  pas^tured. 
The  Piauliy  is  iioted  for  its  affording  grisolitas  (peridote  <n' 
chrysoheryl),  pin<j^oas  craiU'ua  (white  topaz  or  limpid  quartz 
pebbles),  and  other  valuable  stones,  like  those  found  in  tlie 
Rio  das  Americanas  in  the  IMucury.  The  chrysoberyls  arc 
used  in  jewelry  and  by  watchmakers,  and  at  the  time  of  my 
visit  to  Minas  were  selling  for  11  $  000  per  pound,  or  nlioiit 
$  5.50  American  currency.  The  demand  of  late  years  for 
them  has  been  very  small.  A  few  years  ago,  accordinu'  to 
Senator  Ottoni,  several  hundred-weight  were  extracted  and 
exported,  which  drugged  the  market,  and  made  it  for  a  long 
time  unprofitable  to  wash  for  them. 

Two  miles  below  the  Barra  do  Piauhy,  the  mica  slates  clip 
to  the  N.  45°  W.,  and  at  the  Ilha  do  Cubango  there  are 
heavy  vertical  veins  of  granite,  which  extend  in  walls  almost 


PROVINCE   OF   MINAS   GERAES. 


1G5 


across  the  river,  Avhilc,  a  couple  of  miles  fartlior  down,  there 
aiv  some  high  gneiss  or  micu-slate  hills.  The  river  is  full 
of  nx'ks,  and  the  l)anlcs  are  rocky,  though  the  l)anks  of  the 
river  arc  generally  low.  At  the  Arraial  d'llinga  the  mica 
slates  still  show  themselves,  with  a  strike  of  X.  45'  E.,  and 
vertical  dip,  and  are  traversed  by  granite  veins. 

Tlic  Arraial  is  a  consideralilc  little  town,  huilt  on  a  ridge 
of  (|iiartz  gravel  bordering  the  river  on  the  northern  side, 
ami  which,  being  considerably  higher  than  the  river  border, 
JtM'ir  about  twenty  feet  high,  is  not  covered  during  the 
cnchrnte.  It  derives  its  imj)ortance  from  its  trade  in  salt, 
which  is  l)rought  up  the  river  from  the  sea,  and  is  sent  into 
the  interior  to  the  Sertao  do  Rio  Pardo,  together  with  mer- 
chandise, etc.  On  botli  sides,  but  at  a  considerable  dis- 
tance, the  chapadas  skirt  the  river,  but  they  are  rarely  seen 
liy  tlic  voyager  by  canoe,  because  of  the  intervening  gneiss 
liills,  wliich  are  sometimes  500  to  800  feet  in  height  above 
the  level  of  the  river.  Just  below  Itinga  one  has  a  distinct 
view  of  a  chaj)ada  on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  and  in  the 
cliffs  at  its  top  the  characteristic  white  rock  is  seen.  The 
hciulit  of  the  chai)ada  top  above  the  level  of  the  river  nmst 
lie  f.ver  1,000  feet. 

Tlie  rocks  exposed  in  the  river-banks  between  Itinga  and 
tlie  '•  Estreito  "  are  gneiss,  a  compact  variety.  The  hills  have 
the  ordinary  topography  of  the  gneiss  regions  of  the  coast, 
aiul  often  present  bare,  blackened  clitfs  and  slopes.  JJack  of 
tlif  hills  the  flat  tops  of  the  chapadas  are  seen,  and  occasion- 
ally they  accompany  the  river.  The  slopes  of  the  chapadas 
ie.variahly  show  gneiss  almost  to  the  top,  where  there  arc 
usually  lines  of  white  clitTs.  The  thick  red  l)ed  at  the  top 
of  the  chaj)adas  of  Minas  Novas  I  have  not  observed  here, 
nor  is  it  to  be  seen  in  the  cliffs  of  the  chapadas  at  the  junc- 


IGG 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


tioii  between  tlic  Arassuahy  and  Jequitiuhonha.  The  lulls 
and  cluipada  sl()j)es  are  thickly  wooded,  hut  the  trees  an-  ull 
small.  A  .small  species  of  l>arrig;udo  ( lmhar(j,  BuDibux,  or 
Churisia),  with  an  enormously  swollen  trunk,  is  very  abun- 
dant on  the  margin  of  the  river.  The  course  of  the  river  is 
ra)>id,  and  its  breadth  is  about  equal  to  that  of  the  Parahylni 
do  rful  at  Sao  Fidelis.  At  the  "  Estreito  "  the  river  i)assos 
through  a  narrow  gorge  across  a  gneiss  ridge.  This  chasm 
is  in  some  ])laees  not  more  than  1">0  feet  wide,  and  is  a  must 
romantic  spot.  The  sides  are  bold,  rounded  masses  of  ruek 
piled  up  one  upon  the  other  in  picturescpie  confusion. 

When  the  river  is  swollen,  the  "Estreito"  is  a  feailul 
})lace  to  pass  ;  the  waters  rush  through  with  great  fury,  anil 
below  it  arc  dangerous  whirlpools,  where  canoes  arc  fre(|ueiit- 
ly  lost.  Between  the  "  Estreito  "  and  the  Pedra  do  IJodc 
the  river-banks  arc  low  and  flat,  and  the  country  behind 
is  often  marshy  and  intereperscd  with  shallow  lagoons.  In 
one  of  these  I  found  an  abundance  of  Anipullarias,  but  1 
could  find  no  other  shells.  The  Pedra  d(j  IJode,  one  of  the 
noted  landmarks  on  the  river,  is  a  gneiss  hill  on  the  north 
bank,  presenting  a  smooth  precipitous  face  to  the  river.  It 
is  of  some  considerable  altitude,  but  is  not  so  high  as  the 
chapada  behind  it.  Thence  to  Siio  Miguel  the  river  is 
bordered  by  gneiss  hills  and  chapada  sj^urs,  and  back  of 
these,  on  both  sides  of  the  river^  are  seen  the  level  tops 
of  the  cha))adas  which  accompany  the  river.  The  hills 
are  often  very  abruj)t,  and  present  many  l)arc  suiTaccs. 
Some,  which  may  not  be  wholly  composed  of  gneiss, 
arc  very  regular  in  their  curves,  and  have  steep  slopes 
covered  with  a  low  vegetation.  The  Indaid  palm  is  very 
common  on  some  of  the  hills,  going  to  make  uj)  the 
greater  part  of  some  of  the  woods.     A  short  distance  above 


nvLT 


th 


11^ 


PROVINCE   OF   MINAS   GERAES. 


1G7 


.•^iio  .Miiruol  is  the  Caxocira  do  Lahyiinllio,  a  series  of  rapids 
cxttiuling  I'or  more  than  a  mile.  In  some  states  of  the 
rivL-r  these  rapids  are  very  daii<:eroiis,  owiiiji;  to  the  iiudi- 
natioii  of  the  river-bed  and  the  numerous  rocks  which 
uhstruct  the  river,  and  canoes  are  wrecio-d  and  lives  lost 
here  almost  every  year,  in  descending,  the  pruciros,  or 
oarsmen  of  the  })ro\v,  row  vigorously  to  give  the  canoe 
a  uood  headway,  so  that  it  may  ol»ey  the  steei'ing-oar, 
wliicli  must  he  handled  very  dexterously.  Hao  Miguel  is 
a  iuiseral)le  hamlet  on  the  right  hank  of  the  river  at  the 
mouth  of  the  river  ^^ao  Miguel,  which  takes  its  rise  in 
(he  same  serra  with  the  Rio  das  Americanas.  It  is  impor- 
tant principally  because  of  its  commerce  in  salt.  There 
arc  some  large  fazendas  in  the  vicinity  on  both  sides  of 
tlio  river,  on  which  very  large  herds  of  cattle  arc  raised. 
There  are  said  to  be  some  fertile  lands  here.  Below  Sao 
Miauel  is  the  Caxoeira  do  Dorma,  a  series  of  rapids  usually 
easily  passed.  On  the  right  bank  of  the  river,  and  some  two 
01'  three  miles  below  Sao  Miguel,  is  a  range  of  irregular  gneiss 
hills,  which  have  apparently  a  general  north-south  trend, 
and  jiresent  a  {)recipitous  front  to  the  west.  A  small  streani 
springs  from  the  top  of  one  of  these  precipices,  and  hangs 
a  white  thread  of  water  against  the  black  w;dl  of  rock. 
Irregular  gneiss  hills  occupy  the  right  bank  of  the  river  for 
some  four  and  a  half  leagues.  On  the  left  bank  the  great 
chapada  stretches  along,  its  sides  descending  with  rounded, 
smooth  slopes,  often  destitute  of  forest  and  green  with  low 
herbage.  The  stream  here  is  full  of  rapids  with  a  strong 
current,  and  is  about  500  feet  wide.  The  scenery  on  this 
portion  of  the  river  is  exceedingly  grand.  Just  above  the 
valley  of  Sao  Simao  is  a  little  village  called  Farrancho,  in- 
habited by  civilized  Machacalis.     Below  this  the  chajjada 


1G8 


GEOLOGY  AND  PHYSICAL  GHOGRArHY. 


slopes  advance  to  the  river-side  and  l)order  it  lor  a  leiiL'ni' 
or  more,  lorniinj^  the  narrow  valley  of  Sao  Siniiio.  'I'liu 
chapadas  are  of  f^reat  elevation, —  1,-U(J  feet  or  nioi-e  aljuve 
the  river;  their  sides  descend  with  ste(>p,  smooth  slopes  to 
the  river.  The  lower  part  of  the  sloi)Cs  is  tliickly  wooded. 
but  ')ward  the  top  the  vegetation  generally  becomes  low 
and  scrultby;  in  some  parts,  however,  they  arc  wooded  to 
the  toj). 

The  regularity  of  the  slo))es  would  Justify  one  in  assign- 
ing  to  the  chapada  fornuitiou  here  a  great  thickness.  At 
the  entrance  of  the  valley  a  very  siliceous  gneiss  is  seen 
underlying  the  chapada.  Leaving  8{To  Simao  the  chapadas 
recede  from  the  river,  and  the  country  thence  to  the  Salto 
Grande  is  gneiss.  Immediately  below  Silo  Simfio  arc  pic- 
turesque groups  of  hills,  —  the  Serra  da  A'igia  on  the  right, 
and  the  Scrra  das  Panellas  on  the  left,  —  and  below  those 
are  the  rapids  of  the  Panellas.  In  descending  wc  pass  the 
Serra  do  Feijoal  on  the  left,  and  other  hills  on  l)oth  sides 
of  the  river,  shoot  the  Caxoeira  do  Angclim,  the  Caxocira 
da  Farinha,  and  other  rapids,  and  reach  the  eastern  extrem- 
ity of  the  fine  Scrra  da  Lua  Cheia,  which,  coming  from  the 
southwest,  breaks  down  near  the  river.  Between  the  hills 
of  the  Feijoal  and  the  Sorra  da  Lua  Cheia,  the  lauds  border- 
ing the  river  arc  generally  flat  and  low,  so  low  that  they  arc 
easily  flooded  by  the  cnchente.  The  soils  of  these  low 
lands,  or  vargens,  arc  in  general  composed  of  a  fine  sand 
with  but  little  admixture  of  clay.  They  appear  to  be  very 
fertile,  as  the  vegetation  they  support  is  very  luxuriant. 
These  flat  lands  are  full  of  swamps  and  shallow  lagoons,  which 
are  flooded  during  the  cnchente,  and  are  left  full  of  Avater 
when  the  freshet  subsides.  This  water  sometimes  l)ecomcs 
putrid,  from  the  decay  of  the  vegetables  abounding  in  the 


I'ROVINCE  OF  MINAS  GKRAES. 


IG'J 


swamps,  and  fills  the  air  with  miasma,  while  the  water  en- 
tering the  river  poisons  it.  It  was  in  the  lieginnin«r  of  May 
that  I  descended  the  river,  between  Sao  Mignel,  se/oes,  or 
lever  iiiid  a<iiie,  were  exeeedinuly  j)revahMit,  and  1  left  all 
inv  canoe-men  sick  at  Sulto  (irande.  'i'licic  was  scarcely  ti 
JKiuse  on  the  river  where  there  were  n(jt  cases  of  lever,  and 
ciiiiocs  on  the  np  voyage  were  delayed  at  (he  Salto  and 
elsewhere  along  the  rontc  heeanse  of  the  sickness  of  the 
crews.  This  general  prevalence  (jf  fever  among  the  canoc- 
111(11  is  prineijially  attribntahle  to  their  exceeding  imj)rn- 
(leiice.  They  drink  freely  of  the  warm  muddy  river-water 
when  overheated.  They  bathe  in  it  nmh'r  (lie  hot  sun,  and 
jTo  with  dri])ping  garments  a  great  part  of  (lie  time,  spend- 
ing IVe(|iieiitly  night  after  night  nnder  drenching  rains  with 
iiu  other  shelter  than  a  woollen  blanket.  I  had  risen  from 
a  sick-hed  to  make  the  voyage,  and  was  constantly  exposed 
to  the  rain  and  cold  ;  Ijut  I  avoided  the  river-water,  and  cs- 
ca|ie(|,  as  did  my  fellow-traveller,  a  merchant  from  Calhiio.* 

The  hills  comjirising  the  Serra  da  Lna  Cheia  an^  of  con- 
sidcraljle  altitnde,  much  broken  np  and  very  irregnlar  in 
oiilline.  In  this  serra  arc  several  conspicnous  needles  visible 
fnun  a  long  distance,  two  of  which  are  named  respectively 
tlio  Enchadao  and  Enchadinho.  From  this  serra  (o  the 
dangerous  Caxoeira  de  Santa  Anna,  formerly  called  Ihc 
Caxoeira  do  Inferno,  the  river  is  very  rapid,  full  of  islands, 
and  there  arc  some  places  diflicult  to  pass. 

The  Caxoeira  dc  Santa  Anna  is  at  all  times  so  dangerous 
that  (lie  cargo  is  always  carried  round  the  rapids,  and  re- 
emhiuked  below,  the  canoe  descending  empty.     At  the  hcac 


*  I  cannot  let  pass  tliis  op|)ortiinity  of  acknowled^ring  the  kiiulness  of  tliis 
gcntlcinun,  8enlior  Baretto,  a  mulatto,  who  gave  ine  my  passage  to  the  Salto 
from  Calhiio,  and  was  of  the  greatest  service  to  me. 
VOL.   I.  ■  8 


170 


GEOLOGY  AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


of  the  rapids,  wliich  extend  for  nearly  a  mile,  is  a  largo  isl- 
and. Both  channels  arc  practical  tie  in  some  states  of  tin 
river,  but  with  low  water  the  northern  is  the  only  sale  mio. 
The  Caxoeira  consists  not  only  of  a  series  of  rapids,  biii  also 
of  several  buncos,  or  low  cascades.  Canoes  constantly  (!(■- 
scend,  —  a  most  exciting  feat.  The  ascent  is  accomi)lisluM 
only  with  the  emjity  canoe  and  with  great  difficulty.  JictwcLU 
this  Caxoeira  and  the  Salto  Grande  the  river  is  very  swift. 
full  of  rapids,  and  ol)structed  by  rocks,  while  in  some  ])laLe,> 
it  is  very  narrow,  and  Ijordered  by  a  wide  margin  of  rocks 
covered  by  the  annual  floods.  Islands  arc  numerous.  At 
the  town  of  Salto  Grande,  a  wretched  little  place,  on  (ho 
right  bank,  a  quartc"  of  a  mile  above  the  Salto,  or  lails. 
and  celebrated  for  its  trade  in  salt,  <fcc.,  the  rivei-  is  only 
eighty  to  one  Imndred  feet  in  width,  but  on  each  side  are 
low  margins  of  bare  gneiss  *  rock  and  sand-banks. 

At  the  Halto  the  river  reaches  a  point  whence,  within  (be 
distance  of  a  mile  or  thereabouts,  it  descends  some  tluce 
hundred  i'cct,  more  or  less,!  "^  ^  splendid  series  of  cascades 
and  rapids.  At  the  head  of  th<  Caxoeira,  when  the  river  is 
not  swollen,  it  is  suddenly  narrowed  to  fony  or  fifty  feet. 
and  plunges  down  a  very  steep  incline  into  a  gorge  with 
perpendicular  banks,  making  a  wild  and  most  romantic  fall 
of  about  fifty  feet.  Below  this  are  other  falls,  which,  owing 
to  the  state  of  the  weather,  I  was  unalile  to  visit.  On  each 
side  of  the  rapids  is  a  wide  strip  of  rocky  ledges,  swept  bare. 
When  the  enchente  jn-evails,  the  stream  swells  too  biu'  I'm' 
its  channel,  and  pours  in   a  terrible  flood  over  the  rocks 

*  This  f^noiss  is  coniposccl  of  feldspar,  quartz,  and  liornblcndo,  aiul  is  \m;1 
bedded.     Strike,  N.  30^  W.,  dip  vertical  at  the  upper  Porto  do  Salto. 

t  I  am  entirely  unable,  from  the  character  of  tln^  country,  to  form  a  very  re- 
liable estimate  of  the  total  height  of  these  fulls,  but  I  believe  that  300  fuot  I* 
much  within  the  truth. 


PROVINCE   OF   MINAS   GERAES. 


171 


on  cacli  side,  making  a  series  of  rapids  to  wliicli  those  of 
Niagara  arc  as  uolhing.  The  Salto  Grande,  during  the 
lldiiils,  nnist  he  a  sight  worth  a  pilgriniagc  to  sec.  The 
DircioiKirio  Gcog-rajico  says  that  the  fall  is  twenty  liraras 
in  height,  and  that  the  noise  of  the  waters  may  he  heard  at 
a  distance  of  four  leagues,  whicli  is  not  very  correct.  The 
Salto  consists  of  several  falls  and  rapids,  as  ahove  descril)ed. 
Tlic  Caxoeira  is  of  course  an  effectual  harrier  to  navigation, 
commerce  re(piiring  a  transport  of  goods  l»y  iuul(\s  anjund 
it,  which  have  to  he  rc-eml)arkcd  ahove  or  helow  the  falls. 
On  tlu'  road  from  the  village  to  the  port  I)elow  the  coun- 
try is  seen  to  he  covered  as  usual  with  drift-clay,  in  which 
aio  laige  Ijouldcrs  of  the  hornhlendic  gneiss,  together  with 
rounded  and  angular  fragments  of  (piartz.  Ikdow  the  Salto 
the  liver  leaves  the  province  of  Minas  Geraes,  and  enters 
that  of  Bahia  ;  but  to  make  my  description  of  the  river  com- 
plete, I  continue  it  here  to  the  sea. 

Between  the  Salto  and  the  Caxocirinha  the  river  is  nar- 
row, with  high  gneiss  hanks.  It  is  nuich  obstructed  by 
iDclvs  an.d  rapids;  but  this  part  of  the  river  I  am  unable  to 
doseribe  in  detail,  because  1  was  obliged  to  run  the  greater 
jiai't  of  it,  rapids  and  all,  in  the  night.  At  the  Caxocirinha 
tlic  liver  leaves  the  rocks,  and  becomes  a  rio  trarvia.  Up 
to  this  point  the  canoes  bring  from  the  sea  very  heavy 
loads  of  salt,  etc.,  Init  here  their  cargves  have  to  l)e  divided 
and  rearranged.  Here  has  sprung  uj)  a  little  settlement, 
wliieli  licars  the  same  name  as  the  rapids,  but  it  is  of  no 
imi)ortance. 

The  river,  on  leaving  the  rocks,  becomes  immediately  shal- 
lower, less  rapid,  and  widens  into  a  fine  broad  stream,  com- 
parable to  the  Poce,  and  from  800  to  1,000  feet  in  width  or 
iiiuro.    The  lands  also  grow  lower,  and  the  river  valley  is 


172 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPUY. 


cut  through  the  coast  tertiary  band.  The  whole  country  is 
heavily  wooded,  but  the  vegetation  did  not  bear  to  mo  the 
luxuriant  air  of  that  of  the  Duce.  There  arc  a  few  .settlers 
along  tlie  river,  and  one  or  two  large  fazendas.  At  a  place 
called  Zinebra,  a  Ajw  leagues  above  the  mouth  of  the  river 
there  is  an  old  fazenda,  with  wliieli  is  connected  a  good  .saw- 
mill, liclow  this  a  short  distance,  on  the  same  or  j-ii:ht 
bank  of  the  river,  an  American  colony  has  been  estabUslitd. 
and  on  tlie  occasion  of  my  visit  I  found  two  Southern- 
ers, ^lessrs.  Ogden  and  Thom[)son,  engaged  in  cutting  i\ 
clearing  in  the  forest.  The  locality  they  have  chosen  is 
a  fertile  one,  but  it  seems  to  mo  doubtful  whether,  single- 
handed,  they  can  ever  succeed.  Below  Zinebra  the  tertiary 
lands  leave  the  river,  an  isolated  patch  being  found  on  the 
Po-assu,  a  channel  on  the  north  whence  some  of  the  waters  of 
the  Je([uitinhonha  escape  into  the  Pardo.  Thence  to  the 
sea,  low  alluvial  lands,  with  a  heavy  forest  growtli  ami 
swam})s,  border  the  lu'oad,  beautiful  river.  It  is,  however. 
very  shallow,  and  full  of  sand-bars,.  The  river  would  he 
navigable  for  a  little  flat-bottomed  river  steamer,  Imt  it 
Avould  have  to  be  of  very  light  draught.  At  the  mouth  \h; 
river  becomes  exceedingly  broad  and  shallow, and  is  to  sinli 
an  extent  obstructed  by  sand-bars,  that  the  level  of  I'ln' 
river  is  always  higher  than  that  of  the  sea,  and  the  salt 
water  never  enters,  as  is  the  case  with  most  other  livcrs. 
So  heavily  does  the  surf  beat  on  the  bar,  that  vessels  enter 
with  great  difficulty,  and  when  once  they  have  eutereil  it 
often  hai)pens  that  weeks  or  even  nuuiths  may  elapse  before 
it  maybe  safe  to  pass  the  bar  again.  Cargoes  of  corn  ladeK 
at  IJelmonte  have  often  to  be  rclanded  after  lying  in  the 
hold  of  a  vessel  for  weeks.  Xor  is  this  all.  The  sand-banks 
are  constantly  shifthig,  and  a  vessel  at  anchor  may  lie  heajH^il 


PROVINCE   OF   MIXAS   GEUAKS. 


173 


rouiul  liy  sand  and  <letaiiicd  for  a  long  wliilc.  The  result 
is,  tliat  the  port  is  rarely  ever  resorted  to  by  coasters. 
Iji'luKiute  is  a  little  town  situated  on  tlie  alluvial  border 
i)f  the  river,  in  a  grove  of  eoeoanut-trees,  on  the  right 
hank,  a  short  distance  aI)ove  the  mouth.  During  the  fresh- 
ets it  is  liable  to  sutfer  from  the  eating  away  l)y  the  river 
(if  tlic  hank  on  which  the  town  stands.  It  is  of  scarcely 
any  importance,  doing  very  little  trade,  its  inhabitants  being 
principally  lishermen.  Cattle  are  raised  on  the  i)lains  of  the 
vicinity,  but  there  is  small  opportunity  for  agriculture. 

Kiom  Caxoeirinha  to  the  fazenda  of  Zinebra  I  saw  next  to 
nothing  of  the  geology,  owing  to  a  part  of  the  journey  having 
hccn  made  in  the  night,  and  because  of  the  prevalence  of 
very  lieavy  rains ;  but  near  Zinebra  I  saw  a  small  exposure 
(if  shales,  which  appeared  to  l^c  of  the  same  character  as 
those  hereafter  to  be  described  in  speaking  of  the  Rio  Pardo, 
liiit  owing  to  the  height  of  liie  river  I  could  make  nothing 
"if  them.  The  Diccionario  Geogrnjlco  says,  in  speaking  of 
tlie  river,  that  in  1840  beds  of  rose-colored  marl)le  were  dis- 
covered. Through  the  kindness  of  Senhor  Piraja  I  have  in 
my  jiossession  a  specimen  of  this  marl)le.  It  is  exceedingly 
Hne  in  texture,  and  of  a  delicate  pink  tint,  compact  and 
liard,  and  would  take  a  fine  polish.  If  it  occurs  in  sufficient 
quantities,  it  would  make  a  beautiful  building-stone.  For 
the  present  let  us  leave  the  Jequitinhonha.  When  treating 
of  the  geology  of  the  Province  of  Bahia  we  shall  have  to 
return  to  it  again. 


174 


GEOLOGY  AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

THE   ISLANDS   AND   COKAL   REEFS    OF   THE   ABROLHOS. 

The  Gcolopy  of  the  Abrolhos.  —  Trap-bed,  Fossil  Plants,  &c.  —  Land  Fauna  ami 
Flora  ;  Spidi-rs,  Lizards,  and  Sea-Iiirds.  —  The  Cemetery  of  the  Frijrati'-liinls. 
—  The  Whale  and  Garoupa  Fisheries.  —  Importance  of  these  Fisheries.  — 
The  mythieal  Brazilian  Reef.  —  The  Coral  Reefs  and  Consolidated  Bcucln- 
confonnd  oy  Travellers  and  Writers.  —  The  Author's  Discovery  of  tlic 
Porto  Sef,'uran  Coral  Reef.  —  Coral-building  Corals  found  almost  wholly  to 
the  north  of  Cape  Frio.  —  The  Fringing  Reef  of  Santa  Barbara ;  its  Stnicturo 
and  Life.  —  Corals  found  on  the  R'ef.  — Star-fishes,  Ojdiiurans,  &r- 
Reseniblance  between  the  Eehinoderm.:  of  the  Abrolhos  and  West  Indies.  — 
The  Chapeiroes.  —  The  Parcel  dos  Abrolhos;  its  Appearance;  forms  a 
serious  Obstacle  to  Navigation.  —  Safe  Canal  west  of  the  Islands.  — Tiie 
Parcel  dos  Paredes.  —  The  Recife  do  Lixo.  —  Its  great  Extent.  —  Tlie  Siili- 
merged  Border  and  its  Coral-Growth.  —  The  Coral  Fauna  of  Bra'.ll.  —  "^hc 
Millcpores  and  their  Stinging  Properties.  —  The  Reefs  of  Timbebas,  It.i- 
columi,  Porto  Seguro,  Santa  Cruz,  Caraamu,  Bahia,  Maceid,  and  I'ernani- 
buco.  —  The  Roccas. 


The  islands  of  the  Al^rollios  *  lie  al)Out  midway  between 
the  cities  of  Rio  and  Bahia,  a  little  south  of  the  parallel  of 

*  The  general  impression  seems  to  be  that  the  name  is  derived  from  the  Por- 
tuguese words  meaning,  "  Open  your  eyes,"  a  name  which  would  be  exrecd- 
ingly  appropriate,  for  the  islands,  wliitened  by  the  dung  of  sea-birds,  have  a 
spectral  look,  and,  in  addition,  the  reefs  with  which  they  are  surrounded  are  so 
dangerous,  that,  before  the  lighthouse  was  erected,  it  required  much  vigilance 
to  enable  vessels  to  pass  them  in  safety,  and  they  have  been  always  jiMly 
dreaded.  The  author  of  the  odd  old  Dutch  Rcj/s-fmeck  ran  het  rijcke  Brasiheii. 
published  in  1624,  says  that  they  tire  vory  pericuIcHS,  and  adds:  "  Daorom  als 
hy  dese  passagicn  passeren  wilien  so  nemen  sy  eerst  met  al  haer  vole  liet  Sac- 
rument  ende  wanneer  sy  die  ghepasseert  hebben  bedrijven  sygroote  blijdrsrhap- 
ghelijck  al  by  alle  Jurnalen  soo  wel  vande  spaensehe  als  van  de  onso  te  sion  is ! " 


THE  ISLANDS   AND   CORAL   REEFS   OF   THE   AliROLHOS.       175 


ISLAND   OF   SANTA    BARBARA    DOS   ABROLHOS. 


riimvcllas,  and  at  a  distance  of  ai)out  forty  miles  from  the 
niaiiiluiid.  The  position  of  the  lighthouse  on  the  island  of 
Santa  TJarliara  is,  according  to  Mouchez,  lat.  17^  57'  31" 
.^.,  long.  40"  58'  58"  west  from  Paris.  These  islands  are 
situated  apparently  near  the  middle  of  the  submerged  bor- 
der of  the  continent,  which  here,  over  a  very  large  area,  lies 
at  a  depth  of  less  than  one  hundred  feet.  They  are  four  in 
ninnlior.  with  two  little  islets,  and  they  are  arranged  in  an 
ineui'.lar  circle,  three  of  them  close  together.  All  arc  rocky 
and  rather  high,  Santa  Barbara,  the  principal  one,  being 
'So. 22  metres  in  height.  The  length  of  this  island  is  about 
three  quarters  of  a  mile.  Its  outline  is  irregular,  and 
it  is  very  narrow.  It  is  composed  of  beds  of  sandstone, 
sluilcs,  and  trap,  which  dip  approximately  north-northwest, 
at  an  angle  of  from  ten  to  fifteen  degrees.     Owing  to  this 

Cnptain  and  crow  took  the  Sacrament  before  passing  them  !  The  name,  how- 
cvor,  means  rocks,  and  is  so  defined  in  Fonscca's  Dictionary.  Tlierc  is  a  little 
^'roup  of  reefs  and  islands  lying  on  the  western  coast  of  Australia,  in  lat.  28° 
S.,  and  known  as  Iloutman's  Abrolhos.  These  are,  in  great  part  at  least, 
composed  of  coral 


176 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGKAI'HY. 


northward  dip  of  the  strata,  the  northern  side  of  this  island 
presents  a  steep  slope  to  the  sea,  while  on  all  other  sides  it, 
is  preeipitous.  The  island  is  almost  divided  m  two  hi  the 
middle  by  a  cove  indenting  it  on  the  southern  side. 


THE   ISLANDS  OF   THE  ABHOLHOS   FKOM    TUK   SOUTH. 

In  the  cliff  below  the  liglithousc,  the  lowest  beds  soon  are 
an  arenaceous  limestone  (?),  a,  of  the  following  diagram,— 


7n^^®^ 


a  rock  so  hard  as  to  form  a  ]ilntform  l)clow  the  cliff.  Over 
this  is  a  hard,  blue  shale,  /;,  witli  undeterminable  ortianic 
markings,  some  of  which  appear  to  be  the  scales  of  Telcos- 
tian  fishes.  This  is  again  overlaid  by  a  thick  bed  of  a  yellow- 
ish sandstone,  c,  rather  fine  in  texture,  and  sometimes  more 
or  less  shaly,  on  the  surfaces  of  some  of  the  layers  of  wliieli 
there  are  obscure  impressions  of  plants.  This  sandstone  i.* 
harder  than  the  underlying  shales,  and  so  forms  an  over- 
hanging cliff.  The  sandstones  arc  overlaid  by  a  bed  of 
basaltic  trap  that  occupies  the  greater  part  of  the  surface  of 


THE  ISLANDS   AND   CORAL   REEFS   OF   THE   ADROLIIOS.       177 

the    island,   as    is   seen    in   tlic    following    little    map,    in 
which  the  darkly  shaded  portion  represents  the  trap-bed. 


f^   %(l!^^^^»4ssl^' 


This  trap-bed  is  divided  by  numerous  joints  into  polyhedral 
masses  of  all  sizes.  On  the  upper  surface  of  the  ))cd  these 
masses  have  lost,  l)y  decomposition,  one  concentric  coat 
after  another,  until,  in  some  cases,  they  have  been  rounded 
>h\xn  to  irregular  spheres,  like  cannon-balls,  and  the  greater 
l)ai't  of  the  island  is  strewn  with  these 
boulders  of  decomposition.  I  have  al- 
roiKly  called  attention  to  similar  boul-  r. 
dcrs  at  Tijuca.  The  trap  of  8anta  ^ 
Barl)ara  is  traversed  by  but  few  veins,  b?-- 
so  far  as  I  could  see,  the  only  mineral  that  T  could  find  be- 
iiijr  chalcedony,  incrusting  cavities,  and  having  the  color 
and  general  appearance  of  Prenhite.  .  Cracks  and  crevices  are 
sometimes  filled  up  with  guano  and  phosphates  from  the 
(lung  of  the  sea-birds  that  frequent  the  islands  ;  but  I  saw 
no  regular  deposit  of  guano.  The  surface  of  the  rocks  is 
sometimes  covered  in  patches  l>y  an  incrustation  of  a  hard, 
brownish  substance,  which  I  have  supposed  to  have  been 
deposited  by  the  surface  waters,  and  to  have  been  derived 

8*  L 


178 


GEOLOGY   AND    I'lIYSlCAL   GKOGPwMMIY. 


from  tho  birds'  dung,  Darwin,  who  visited  the  islands  on 
Ids  CL'lebriiicd  voyage  round  tiio  Avorld,also  s{)eaks  of  it,  and 
describes  a  similar  substance  as  found  on  the  island  (if 
Ascension,  and  on  St.  Paul's  rocks.*  The  same  geido^iist 
mentions  having  observed  a  columnar  structui'C  in  the  tni]) 
of  Santa  Barbara,  but  I  lliul  no  note  of  it  in  my  journal, 
The  underlying  stratified  beds  arc  somewhat  altered,  and 
indurated  from  their  ])roximity  to  the  trap. 

In  lidiological  characters  the  AI)rolhos  beds  resemble  Ihe 
sandstones,  Arc,  of  the  Rio  Sao  Francisco  at  PenCMJo,  to  lie 
dcscril)ed  farther  on,  and  wdiich  contain  similar  plant  re- 
mains. They  have  lieen  distnrljcd  by  the  same  upheaval. 
and  I  have  little  hesitation  hi  referring  both  to  the  creta- 
ceous. 

If  my  identification  l)e  correct,  it  is  interesting  to  observe 
the  cretaceous  rocks  on  the  eastern  ])order  region  of  South 
America  disturbed  and  associated  with  volcanic  deposits,  lijr 
along  the  eastern  border  region  of  North  America  the  oic- 
taceous  and  tertiary  rocks  have  suffered  no  disturbance.  1 
have  seen  no  trace  of  secondary  rocks  on  the  coast  o]ipo- 
sitc  the  Abrolhos  and  to  the  southward.  On  the  Mucury 
and  elsewhere  the  tertiary  clays  are  everywhere  seen  to  rest 
immediately  on  the  gneiss  ;  but  the  submerged  border  of  the 
continent  seems  to  be  more  or  less  overlaid  bv  cretaceous 
strata,  as  in  the  eastern  border  region  of  North  America. 

The  Ilha  Redonda,  lying  just  w^est  of  Santa  Barbaia,  is 
composed  of  rocks  of  the  same  character  as  those  of  Santa 
Bai'bara,  but  I  observed  no  basalt.  Near  the  top  of  the  clitf, 
on  the  eastern  side  of  Redonda,  there  is  seen  a  thick  bed  of 
a  white  or  yellowish  material  which  looks  like  chalk,  and  is 
easily  cut  with  a  knife  when  wet,  but  on  drying  it  grows 

*  Darwin,  Geological  Observations,  Part  II.  p.  33. 


THE   ISLANDS   AND   COP.AL   RKEFS   OF   TlIK   ABROLIIOS.      170 

harder.  It  does  not,  however,  cfTorvesce  witli  acids,  and  it 
ii]i|it'iir.s  to  1)0  an  aluminous  j)roduct  of  the  decomposition  of 
sdiiic  rock.  Mr.  Henry  Hughes,  of  Cornell  University,  e\- 
aniined  a  S])ecinien  of  the  I'ock,  and  reports  it  as  containiuir 
quite  a  percentage  of  phosphoric  acid,  wliich  lias  donl)tless 
lii'cu  brought  into  the  rock  by  the  percolation  through  it  of 
laiii-water  from  the  dung-strewn  surface  of  the  ground  above. 
The  other  two  islands  are  composed  of  stratilied  rocks  which 
;i|i|iear  to  undei'lie  conformably  those  of  Santa  Barbara  and 
lleilonda ;  but  1  was  unable  to  visit  them.  On  the  sliores  of 
Saiiii)  i>ar1)ara  I  found  fragments  of  j)umicc  scattered  altout 
ami  mucli  rolled  by  the  waves.  These  have  b(M'n  obsei'ved 
(.Iscwiirrc  on  the  Brazilian  coast,  and  it  is  somewhat  puz- 
■/.Ww'j:  to  account  for  their  origin.  Darwin  found  pumice 
]K'lihl('s  on  the  coast  at  Bahia  Blanca,in  the  southern  j.ai'tof 
the  Argentine  Rejiublic  ;  ijut  these,  he  says,  had  Ijcen  brought 
(Idwu  by  the  rivers  flowing  from  the  eordillera.* 

The  beaches  of  the  Al)i'olhos  Islands  are  foi-med  in  part 
of  the  debris  of  the  rocks  comprising  the  islands,  l)ut  they 
consist  largely,  and  in  some  ])laces  entirely,  of  coral  and 
shell  sand.  It  is  very  interesting  to  see  how  these  materi- 
als arc  cemented  together  through  the  action  of  the  sea 
^vater,  and  even  the  shingle  is  soldered  into  an  exceedingly 
finn  mass.f 


*  Dimvin,  Geological  Observations,  Part  Til.  p.  4. 

t  I  liiivo  seen  the  same  in  the  island  of  St.  Thomas,  W.  I.  Darwin  says : 
"On  tlic  shores  of  Quail  Island  in  the  Cajie  Verdes  I  found  fra>,rments  of 
linck,  holts  of  iron,  pebbles,  and  larj^o  fraf^mcnts  of  basalt  united  by  a  scanty  base 
of  impure  caloareoiis  matter  into  a  firm  conglomerate.  To  show  how  cxeeedini;ly 
(inn  this  recent  eonglonierate  is,  I  may  mention  that  I  endeavored  with  a  lieavy 
tri'olii-icul  hammer  to  knock  out  a  thick  bolt  of  iron  which  was  embedded  a 
little  above  low-water  mark,  but  was  (juite  unable  to  succeed."  —  Geological 
Oijscrvations,  Part  II.  p.  21. 


180 


GEOLOGY   AND    PHYSICAL   GKOGRAPIIY. 


On  the  island  of  Santa  T>ar))ara  was  croctccl  a  fow  yoars 
ago  an  cxccllont  liglithoiisc  with  a  flash  li.ulit,  ami  the  uiilv 
human  iulial>itants  of  Ihe  island  arc  tlie  lij^lithouse-kcppor 
and  his  assistants.  A  ihw  goats  wore  introduced  on  Santn 
Barbara  some  time  since,  which  have  inultiplicd  until  ilici. 
is  now  a  flock  of  several  hundreds.  These  animnls  Imw 
almost  dej)rived  the  island  of  vegetation,  and  can  now  unK 
harely  sul»sist.  Redonda  is  covered  with  coarse  grasses,  w  iili 
dwarf  mimosas  and  a  few  ferns,  (tc,  —  a  very  meagre  ildia. 
The  island  Siriba  boasts  in  addition  a  single  ti-ce  of  tlic 
same  name,  together  with  two  dwarf  cocoa-palms  planti^l  hv 
the  whalers  from  Caravellas.  The  land  animals  consist  of 
little  lizards  of  several  species,  Avhicli  arc  extraordinarily 
al)undant,  more  so  than  in  any  other  locality  I  ever  visitifl. 
An  imironsc  M/jg-afc,  the  Aran/ia  caranguejeira  of  the  I5r;i- 
zilians,  abounds  in  like  manner,  living  under  stones,  Imt  I 
did  not  observe  that  it  made  any  nest.  This  huge  spider 
preys  on  the  lizards.  It  has  been  known  to  attack  and  kill 
young  chickens  on  the  island  and  suck  their  blood,  and  it 
is  not  improbable  that  it  may  destroy  the  young  of  tin' 
sea-birds,  so  common  on  the  island. 

Breeding-places  for  sea-birds  are  few  along  the  Brazilian 
coast  north  of  Cape  Frio,  and  during  certain  seasons  of  the 
year  several  species  resort  to  the  Abrolhos  in  great  iiiini- 
bers.  Among  these  are  the  frigate-bird  (  Tarhijpcles  (ujni- 
lina),  the  Pihto,  the  Grazina  {Phaefon),  Bcncditos,  gulls. 
&c.  Since  the  occupation  of  the  island  by  men  and  goats. 
and  the  establishment  of  the  lighthouse,  these  birds  liavc 
resorted  to  the  island  of  Santa  Barl)ara  less  abundantly  than 
formerly.  One  fact  with  reference  to  the  frigate-bird  is 
worth  mentioning.  At  the  southwest  extremity  of  Santa  Bar- 
bara is  a  little  islet  composed  of  a  heap  of  large  trap  boulders 


THE   ISLANDS   AXl)   CORAL   RKEFS   OF   THE   AIJUOLHOS.      18  L 


of  decomposition,  and  joined  to  the  main  island,  as  I  shall 
liuvc  occasion  liereal'ter  to  rcmai'k,  hy  a  IVinninii'  coral  reef. 
This  islet,  Avhitcned  hy  the  hird-dung,  is  called  -  ()  Cvrrte- 
Icrio,''  or  the  cemetery.  I  was  assured  that  to  this  sepul- 
clu'ul-looking  spot  the  lVigate-l)irds  of  the  vicinity  resorted 
on  the  approach  of  death,  and  that  the  jthu'c  was  strewn 
widi  Iheir  hones.  At  low  water  one  day  1  visited  the 
"cemetery,"  and  I  I'oiuid  such  to  lie  actually  tin;  case. 
Tlicrc  were  remains  of  hundreds  of  tliese  hirds,  some  freshly 
dead,  hut  the  most  of  the  slceletons  were  disarticulated  and 
bleached.  Xowhere  else  did  I  see  a  dead  frigate,  and  it 
would  seem  that  for  generation  after  generation  they 
had  li-one  there  to  die.  I  do  not  kn(jw  of  a  hetter  station 
for  lui  ornithologist  desirous  of  studying  the  haltits  and 
eiuhryology  of  the  sea-ldrds  of  Urazil  than  the  island  of 
Santa  IJarltara.  He  can  lind  as  comfortaide  lodgings  at  the 
liuhthouse  as  he  could  possihly  desire,  and  he  nuiy  at  the 
right  season  of  the  ycai-  collect  as  many  sjiccimens.  young 
and  adult,  of  the  birds  frc(|uenting  the  island  as  he  may 
wish. 

Heforc  I  go  on  to  speak  of  the  coral  reefs  of  the  Al)i-(dhos 
and  vicinity,  a  few  remarks  on  the  fisheries  may  not  here 
Ije  out  of  place.  On  the  coast  of  Brazil  are  found  several 
species  of  whales  and  smaller  cetaceans,  hut  these  animals 
have  not  been  carefully  examined  hy  competent  naturalists, 
and  1  am  unable  to  give  as  accurate  an  account  of  them  as 
1  could  desire.  These  animals  are  captured  at  various  sta- 
tions, frc  m  Santa  Catherina  northward  to  Bahia.  At  pres- 
ent the  two  most  important  stations  arc  Caravellas  in  the 
Alirolhos  region  and  Bahia.  I  visited  the  Abndhos  during 
the  whaling  season,  and  during  my  cruise  I  saw  several  humi»- 
baeks  i3Icg-aptera),ix[\  apparently  of  the  same  species  ;  but 


ISL' 


GEOLOGY   AND   rilYSICAL   GEOGRArilV. 


I  was  not  so  lortuiuito  as  to  sec;  a  IVcsli  s|t('ciinoii  Itioii'^hr, 
ill.  1  made  tlu'  most  diligent  imiiiirius  (jf  tlio  lishcrincn  in 
rulatifjii  lo  lli(!  (lirtereiit  kinds  tlit'y  wimv  accustonu'd  to  t;ikc, 
but  tlioy  sccni  to  confound  the  species,  and  1  could  ulitiiin 
nothinii'  vciv  salist'actoi'v  iVoni  tlicni. 

From  all  that  I  could  learn,  three  S})ecies  arc  taken  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  Alirolhos.  The  nonic<ra  is  a  humpimck, 
wliich  luis  the  hdly  white  and  smooth,  hack  veiy  daik 
bluish,  length  lil'ty  to  lil'ty-live  feet.  This  whale  uives  inoiv 
oil  than  the  viijsligd,  which  the  whalers  said  dillered  tiom 
the  ahove  in  having  the  back  black,  and  the  l)elly  and  thinat 
furrowed.     Sonuitimes  they  have  white  spots  on  the  sides. 

The  ctifc/o  (^cachelot)  is  distinguished  l»y  I'eing  whi>llv 
dark  colored  or  black,  ami  without  sj)ots  or  furrows.  Tli" 
fishery  l)egins  at  Bahia,  according  to  Castelnau,*  about  ilic 
loth  of  June,  and  lasts  until  the  lilst  of  Sei)teniber.  At 
Caravellas  1  was  assured  that  the  whales  always  appeai^a 
later  than  at  Hahia,  and  the  fisheiy  chjes  not  hegin  until 
the  last  week  in  June,f  continuing  through  the  nujutli  oi 
Septeml)er.  ^fhis  seems  strange,  since  the  whales,  ac- 
cording to  the  iishcnncn,  come  from  the  south  in  June. 
and  return  in  .*^C]»teml)Cr,  and  one  would  naturally  expect 
thi'.t  they  would  arrive  at  the  Abrolhos  before  they  anivo 
at  ]>ahia.  The  first  whales  ajipear  in  the  Al)rollios  waters 
at  al)out  the  end  of  and   they  linger  until  Octolicr. 

The  females  ofte  young  calves  with  them,  and  ap- 

pear to  seek  tin  cr  of  the  reefs.     The  head-quarters  of 

tlic  Abrolhos  lisliery  is  at  Caravellas,  or  rather  at  tlio 
mouth  of  the  river  Caravellas,  Avherc  arc  situated  the  ar- 
ma^ocs,  or   trying-houses.     In   the  year  18G7   there  were 

*  K.r}mUti<m  (hiiis  I'Amtriquc  du  Sud,  Tome  I.  p.  1 50. 
t  So  also  Von  Tschudi. 


Tin:   ISI.ANDS   AND   CORAL   UrF.FS   OF   THE   AIIROLIIOS.     183 

t>nii>li»yi'tl   ill   (his   lisluMy   sovciitccn   hiiiiii-In's.     These  ves- 
sels MIX'   liir^'e,  well-mjule,  jt'mk-stei'iied,  (i|ieii  IkhiIs,  eiirry- 
iiiniiiic  hiru'c  s(iiiiiio  sail.     Tlit'  saiue  Idiild  orhiimeli  is  iis(m1 
at    r>aliia,  and   (liov  are  vei'V  uood   sailers.     One   oi'  these 
launehes  ousts,  the  hnll  alone,  aliont  .■')()0><  000  (A^')'),  nioi'O 
or  less).*      The  crew  eonsists  of  iVnni  Iniirteeii  to  sixteen 
[leiseiis.     I'laeli   laniieli  takes   in  tow  a  whale-ltoat.     'J'heso 
aic  of  the  or<liiiaiy  linild,  and  cost   al)ont   2-''0><000,     The 
Clew  of  the  l)oat  eonsists  of  seven  men, —  a  harpooner  and  a 
steersman,   the   rest   bein«>:   rowei's.     Th(>  lanneli   and   lioat 
usually  lielone'  to  one  person,  who  hires  the   ei-ew   lor  the 
season,  or  sdj'ra,  rurnishinu'  them  rations  e\('ry  ten   days. 
When  a   laru'e  whah;    is  eaptui'tMl    the   hai-pooner  receives 
121)  ■'I' 000,  hnt  if  small  only  half  that  sum.     The  steersman 
receives  half  the  prize  money  of  the  harpooner,  the  rowers 
each  24  8000  if  the  whale  be  larue,  and  12  8  000  if  small. 
The  master  of  the  launeli  receives  40  8000  if  laree,  20  8  000 
if  small,  and  the  crew  10  8  000   if  larue,  8  8  000  if  small. 
The  (lead  whale  is  towed  in  to  land  by  the  launch,  aided  by 
the  boat  if  necessary.     The  distance  is  often   great,  and 
when  the  wind  is  adverse  the  whale  often  comes  to  land  in 
a  wretched  condition,  and  IVeMpicntly    jiadly   mangled    l)y 
sharks,  which  abound  in  these  waters.     A  small  tug  would 
he  of  nuich  service  in  this  fishery,  not  only  to  bring  the 
Mliales    prnm])tly   to    the    shore,  but   occasiomdly  to    tow 
the   launches    in    case  of  a  head   wind.      The  whales  are 
brought  to  the  shore,  l)cached  in  front  of  the  trying-houses, 
and  cut  uj).      There   are   several   of  these   ti-ying-houses. 
The  one  that  1  visited  was  well  constructed,  and  was  fur- 


*  Tlic  render  will  please  bear  in  mind  that  the  1  SOdO  or  niil-nis  (not  7)iil- 
rci,  as  forei^aiers  will  call  it),  has  an  a])iiroxinuUe  value  of  about  fifty  cents 
American  currency. 


184 


GKOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


iiislicd  witli  five  c'ulling-liuiks,  which  woiihl  accominoduti' 
tlic  bhil)i)cr  ol'  two  hi,rg'C  whales,  together  with  ten  tanks 
for  oil  having  a  capacity  of  about  15,000  gallons.  There 
were  twenty-six  trying-pots. 

The  arnuu^dcs  are  hired  by  the  owner  of  the  launch  taj)- 
turing  the  whale,  who  furnishes  the  men  necessaiy  for  the 
cutting  up  tmd  trying  out.  The  large  females  accompanied 
by  young,  madrijos*  arc  very  fat,  and  are  the  most  valualilc 
prizes.  There  are  killed  ever\'  -ear  and  cut  up  at  the  Poiita 
da  Balea  fr(jm  thirty  to  ninety  whales  ;  Init  were  the  fishery 
jmrsued  more  vigorously,  with  proper  economy  of  time  ami 
the  use  ot  a  small  steam-tug  or  two,  the  yield  might  lie 
more  than  doubled.  I  Icani  through  M.  Bornand,  of  Villa 
Yi^'osa,  that  a  company  has  been  formed  at  that  town  for 
the  prosecution  of  the  fishery.  A  good-sized  whale  ought  to 
afford  1,000  to  1,000  catiadas  of  oil,  the  Canada  containing' 
about  ten  bottles,  or  one  and  eight  ninths  gallons,  the  large 
whales  givintr  much  more.  The  oil,  Avho  •  quality  miulit, 
it  seems  to  me,  be  improved  by  more  care  ii.  .le  trying  out, 
sells  on  the  si)ot  at  from  1  $  GOO  to  8  8  000  per  caiiada. 

The  whalebone  is  short,  but  sells  well,  but  I  have  omitted 
to  note  the  price  it  brings.  The  beach  on  which  the  whales 
arc  cut  up  is  covered  during  the  season  by  huge  masses  o*' 
rotting  flesh,  and  is  strewn  with  bones.  There  must  be 
on  the  spot  the  bones  of  over  500  whales.  These,  with 
the  flesh  and  the  refuse  from  the  trying-pots,  would,  prop- 
erly and  scientifically  ])repared,  make  an  excellent  manure, 
which,  if  judiciously  applied,  would  go  far  towards  re- 
juvenating the  soils  of  the  ])lantations  of  the  vicinity,  which 
are  rajjidly  becoming  exhausted.  At  present  it  seeniM 
ridiculous  to   hear  the  com})laints   of  the    planters,  while 

*  Madrijas  ?     I  do  not  liud  the  word  in  Foiiscca. 


THE  ISLANDS   AND   CORAL   REEFS   OF   THE   ABROLIIOS.     185 


hundreds  of  tons  of  the  most  valuable  kind  of  manure  arc 
left  to  rot  on  the  sands  or  are  poured  into  the  sea  !  The 
Al>rolhos  region  is  rarely  visited  by  whalers,  ihough  1  was 
intbrnied  tha\;  an  American  vessel  some  nine  years  ago 
s[>('nt  a  seasoii  on  the  ground,  taking  twenty  wliales. 

Tlie  fishery  at  Bahia  is  carried  on  on  a  nuich  larger  scale 
than  at  Caravellas.  Castelnau*  cstinuited  in  iH'jO  that  it 
uavc  occupation  to  2,000  persons,  and  from  100  to  120 
boats,  giving  a  revenue  of  200,000  francs.  The  same  author 
estimated  that  on  the  whole  coast  of  Brazil  from  10,000  to 
12,000  persons  were  engaged  in  this  fishery,  and  that  it 
jiroduced  a  cai)ital  of  1,000,000  francs,  l)ut  it  seems  to  me 
tliat  that  estimate  would  be  far  too  high  for  the  present 
time.  Castelnau  speaks  of  the  fact  that  whale-flesh  is 
us(.'d  as  food  l)y  the  lower  classes  in  l)ahia,  and  1  saw 
it  exposed  for  sale  ;  but  Dr.  Antonio  de  Lacerda  assured 
me  thtit  it  was  not  healthy,  and  tended  to  produce  ele- 
phantiasis. Castelnau  states  that,  according  to  the  fisher- 
men, the  whales  enter  the  l)ay  every  morning,  but  always 
return  to  the  o})en  sea  to  s^jend  the  night,  and  I  heard 
the  same  report.  Wliales  are  frecjuently  taken  very  near 
the  city,  and  one  may  sometimes  enjoy  the  rare  sight  of 
sitting  at  a  restaurant  in  the  nppcr  city  and  watching  the 
chase  and  cai)tare  of  a  whale  in  the  bay  lielow  I 

The  other  fishery  carried  on  in  the  waters  of  the  Abrolhos 
is  that  of  tiie  <^ai'oupa,  an  excellent  fish  exceedingly  abun- 
dant, and  taken  with  the  hook  and  line.  The  liead-([uarters 
of  this  fishery  is  at  Porto  Heguro,  a  town  some  seventy 
mik-s  to  the  northward  of  the  Abrolhos.  At  this  town  is 
owned  a  fleet  of  thirty-five  or  forty  small  vessels,  each  car- 
rying from  seven  to  ten  men.     The  fishery  really  extends 

♦  Expedition  dans  I' Ame'rique  du  Sud.     IJistoiredu  Voyage.     Tome  I.  p.  152. 


180 


GKOLOGY   AND  PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


from  Barra  Sccca  northward  to  the  Commaiidatuba,  but  the 
best  ji-rouiids  lie  between  lat.  17°  and  18°  S.  The  cruise  is 
usually  for  twenty-five  or  thirty  days.  The  fish  tiikcii  ;\]v 
jjrincipally  g-aroupas,  but  there  ai-e  also  several  other  kinds, 
such  as  the  mciro,  vermelho,  etc.  The  fish  arc  salted  ddwu 
m  the  hold,  but,  owing  to  the  heat,  they  arrive  almost  iii- 
varial)ly  with  a  very  strong  and  disagreeable  odor.  Tluv 
are  dried  on  shore  and  sent  to  TJahia.  The  yearly  prodiid 
of  this  fishery  is  from  160,000  to  200,000  arrol)as  (2,r)(!0  h, 
3,200  tons).  The  garoupa  is  a  delicious  fish,  and  witli 
proper  care  might  be  ])re])arcd  so  as  to  be  quite  ('(jiial 
to  the  cod.  The  names  of  the  fish  taken  in  the  virjnjiy 
of  the  Abrolhos,  and  which  arc  used  for  food,  are  Ictiioii. 
and  among  them  arc  some  oi  'he  most  delicious  of  ma- 
rine fish.  The  Abrolhos  Islands  offer  an  excellent  slatimi 
for  drying  and  curing  fish,  and  there  has  been  sonic  talk 
of  establishing  there  the  head-quarters  of  a  comjiany  tn 
carry  on  this  fishery.  Immense  quantities  of  codfisli  arc 
now  sent  to  Brazil,  together  with  European  sardines  and 
canned  fish  from  Portugal,  and  every  veiida  is  hill  of  tlnin. 
k^omc  enterprising  American  should  form  a  comi)any  Ini'  tin' 
dcvclo])nient  of  tliis  fishery.  The  Brazilian  fish  a^v'  as 
cheaply  i.btained  as  the  Portuguese,  they  are  nowlioro  ii; 
be  excelled,  and  Brazil  ought  to  be  exporting  her  deliijens 
fishes,  canned,  or  otherwise  j)repared,  to  Euro])e,  bci^idos 
supplying  her  own  market.  The  government  would  favnr 
any  undei'takingof  the  kind  proposed,  and  there  arc  wealthy 
Brazilians  who  would  aid  in  carrying  it  out. 

In  works  on  Brazil,  fi'om  those  of  the  old  explorers  to  tlio 
present  time,  we  find  the  uniform  statement  that  a  roof  or 
consolidated  beach,  like  that  of  Pernambuco  or  Barra  Seria. 
extends  around  the    greater  part  of  the    Brazilian  coast. 


THE   ISLANDS   AND   CORAL   REEFS   OF   THE   ABROLHOS.     187 


There  lias  been  much  confusion  riS  to  what  this  reef  really 
was,  sonic  describing  it  as  of  coral,  others  as  composed  of 
siiiidstono,  Ijut  in  scientific  works  it  is  generally  stated  that 
no  coral  reefs  exist  on  the  coast  of  ]>razil. 

1  am  not  sure  who  first  expressed  the  opinion  ^^hat  the 
stone  reef  surrounded  a  large  part  of  the  coast,  Ijut  1  find 
it  in  Piso,  whose  first  volume  l)ears  date  lO-bS.*  Since 
Ills  lime  this  general  reef  has  been  descril)ed  over  and  over 
at:;! in  almost  in  the  same  words,  and  it  is  even  occasionally 
to  1(0  fouml  laid  (Kdwii  on  maj)S. 

Prince  Max.  zu  Ncu  Wicd  has  nothing  to  sav  concerning 
the  trne  coral  reefs,  and,  strangely  enough,  he  does  not 
doscrihc  the  Porto  Seguran  or  Santa  Cruz  consolidated 
lifachcs,  notwithstanding  he  gives  drawings  of  l)oth.  Von 
Martius,f  however,  observed  coral  banks  at  Caniamu  and 
WAV  llhcos,  and  referred  some  of  the  corals  to  Lainarckian 
sjicoics. 

Dai'wiii,  who  just  touched  at  the  Albrohos,  observed 
corals  trrowing  on  the  shore,  but  he  did  not  see  the  reef.  In 
his  (leological  Ob.servations  |  he  says:  ''  Round  many  inter- 
tiMoical  islands,  —  for  instance  the  Al)rolhos  on  the  coast  of 
Brazil,  surveyed  by  Captain  Fitz  Roy,  and,  as  1  am  informed 
liy  Dr.  Gumming,  round  the  Philip])incs,  —  the  bottom  of  the 
sea  is  entirely  coatc<l  by  in-egular  masses  of  coral,  which,  al- 
though often  of  large  size,  do  not  reach  the  surface  and  form 
lini[M.'r  reefs."    Darwin  speaks  also  of  having  received  iiifor- 

*  I'iso  siiys  :  "  Maxirnam  Brasilia;  partem,  nuno  interrupts  nunc  continuato 
iliK'to  tiu'tus.  Ejus  latitudo  ])lani;isima  est  et  quasi  arte  in  suiicrlicii  lL'vif,'ata  ad 
vi;^inti,  siiliindti  tri;:intn  passits  et  ultra  sc  extcndit.  Tantiv  voro  nltitiulinis  ut 
vix  siiinmo  ;vstu  inunditur." —  Ilist.  Xat.  Brasiliw.  Guiliclmi  Tisonis,  M.  D. 
Je  Med.  Hrasil.     Liher  primus.     1648. 

+  III  Is,'  iHich  fhasilien,  Band  IL  Seite  G84,  685. 

!  l';v,tl  p  58. 


188 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


mation  of  the  coral  reef  at  Maccio,  which  further  on  I  shall 
describe  ;  and  in  another  pkice  in  the  same  work,  referriiio- 
to  the  PUote  dii  Bresil,  by  Baron  Ruussin,  a  work  1  lia\u 
never  seen,  he  says  :  "  A  few  miles  south  of  the  latter  citv 
[Pcrnanibuco]  tlie  reef  follows  so  closely  every  turn  of  the 
shore  that  I  can  hardly  doubt  that  it  is  of  coral."  Dana 
also  says  :  *  "  About  Pernambuco,  as  I  am  informed  by  Mr. 
Titian  K.  Peal,  there  arc  some  patches  of  growing  corals, 
and  they  arc  said  to  extend  along  to  20°  or  21'  south  lati- 
tude," which  is  not  quite  correct,  as  we  shall  sec  further  uu 
Staff-Comnuinder  Pcun,t  in  treating  of  Cape  Sao  Ruquc, 
says  that  "  the  coast  of  Pilitinga  and  the  Cape  is  skirted 
by  a  reef  which,  between  two  and  two  and  a  lialf  miles 
southward  of  the  former,  in  front  of  two  small  villag(.'s,  forms 
a  curve  with  its  outer  edge  and  runs  thence  a  mile  fnjni  the 
shore,  having  two  and  three  (piartcrs  fathoms  of  water  inside 
of  it."  These  reefs  arc  represented  on  the  maj)  of  Iviii 
Grande  do  Norte  by  Almeida,  and  they  appear  to  be  coial 
reefs.  Penn  speaks  of  other  reefs  between  the  Punahii  and 
the  Touro  which  are  of  the  same  character.  A  little  farther 
on  J  he  says  :  "  The  rcrifc,  a  singular  ridge  of  coral  roelc. 
borders  the  coast,  generally  at  a  distance  of  about  a  half  td 
three  miles,  but  in  some  places  much  farther  off,  and  ex- 
tends more  or  less  from  the  northeast  part  of  Brazil  as  tar 
as  Bahia.  Traces  of  it  may  be  found  fr.rther  southward 
and  along  the  north  coast  to  Maranhao.  The  reef,  which  is 
about  sixteen  feet  in  breadth  at  the  top,  slopes  to  the  sea- 
ward, is  per})endicular  on  the  shore,  and  said  to  be  generally 
covered,  but   sometimes    rises   from   distance   to   distance 


*  Coral  Reefs  and  Islands,  p.  108. 

t  South  American  Coast  Pilot,  Vol.  L  p.  22. 

I  Op.  cit.  p.  23. 


THE  ISLANDS   AND   CORAL   REEFS   OF   THE   ABROLIIOS.     180 


nearly  three  feet  out  of  water.  It  is  nearly  always  l)ordorcd 
liv  rocky  banks,  and  forms  a  natural  breakwater,  having 
smoiith  water  and  shallow  inside  of  it,  with  navigable  chan- 
nels tor  coasters,  <tc.  It  is  broken  occasionally,  and  forms 
liy  the  oiK'uings  entrances  to  the  greater  part  of  the  ports, 
rivers,  and  creeks  on  the  coast."  Now  such  a  description 
cdiild  never  have  been  written  by  any  intelligent  seaman 
who  had  examined  the  coast.  It  is  Piso's  account  of  the 
ircife  told  over  again,  and  it  is  the  more  erroneous  since  it 
gives  more  detail. 

Gardner  not  only  mistook  the  structure  of  the  Pernam- 
l)iieaii  stone  reef  or  consolidated  beach,  but  he  describes  the 
mythical   coast  reef  in  the    same   general   terms.      .So  no 
wondor  that  the  whole  structure  and  character  of  the  coast 
reefs  of  Brazil  have  remained  a  puzzle  to  the  geologist  and 
the  googra])hor,  and  that  it  has  been  a  serious  (juestion  as  to 
what  the  Abrolhos  reefs   really  were,  one  author  declaring 
that  they  were  formed  of  decomposed  gneiss  !     The  fact  is, 
that  the  reefs  of  Brazil  are  of  two  kinds,  the  coral  reefs 
and  the  consolidated  beaches,  which  last  are  occasionally 
separated  from  the  coast  line,  and   sometimes  run  across 
the  mouths  of  rivers,  as  at  Porto  Scguro,  Pernambuco,  &c., 
like  i\arrow  rock  walls  resemlding   artificial  breakwaters. 
These,  so  far  as  I  have  observed  or  can  loai-n,  are  never 
tbuiid  at  any  great  distance  from  the  shore,  neither  are  they 
continuous   over  any  great  distances.     The  Brazilian  calls 
them  rrcifcs.     That   at  Pernambuco,  owing   to  the  great 
trade  with  that  port,  has  l)ecome  famed,  and  many  travel- 
lers have  seen  it  and  been  puzzled  over  it. 

From  the  Abrolhos  northward  to  the  shore  of  j\Iaranhao, 
at  very  irregular  and  often  very  long  intervals,  are  scat- 
tered true  coral  reefs,  which  lie  in  i)atches  at  a  short  dis- 


190 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRArilY. 


tancc  from  the  slioro,  there  l)eiiig  usually  iiavigahlc  channels 
between  them  and  the  mainland.  It  is  very  rare  that  one 
of  these  reefs  is  dry  other  than  at  very  low  tide,  and  the  sea 
constantly  l)reaks  on  its  outer  edge.  These  reefs  are  known 
by  the  Brazilians  as  rccifcs.*  Cora]  and  coral-rock  arc 
called  pedra  de  cal,  or  limestone.  The  whole  confusion  lias 
evidently  arisen  in  this  way :  A  traveller  has  visited  Pcrnani- 
buco,  and  has  seen  the  reef.  lie  hears  it  called  the  rccij);^ 
and  is  told  that  the  coast  of  Brazil  is  bordered  by  rccifcs. 
On  his  way  u})  or  down  the  coast  he  sees  from  time  to  time 
the  sea  breaking  against  the  coral  reefs  in  a  long  line  of  surf. 
His  pilot  tells  him  that  is  the  rccifc.  He  perhaps  asks  if  it  is 
made  of  coral ;  but  this  word  in  Brazil  is  almost  exclusively 
applied  to  the  precious  red  covr\  {Coralliiini  riibrum),  and 
the  pilot  says,  "  No,  it  is  made  of  pedra,  or  pcdra  de  cal.'' 
Some  of  the  coral  reefs  arc  laid  bare  at  low  water,  but  their 
great  width  is  not  visible  from  the  deck  of  a  ship  sailing  at 
a  distance,  and  they  look  like  walls.  So  the  coral-reefs  of 
Brazil  have  come  to  be  confounded  with  the  consolidated 
beaches  ;  indeed,  I  should  never  have  suspected  the  real 
character  of  the  coral  reef  of  Santa  Cruz,  close  to  wliieli  I 
passed  in  a  steamer,  had  it  not  1)een  that  I  had  previously 
examined  the  coral  reef  at  Porto  Seguro.  It  seemed  a  low, 
narrow  wall,  and  there  was  nothing  that  I  could  elicit  from 
the  pilot  or  captain  that  would  have  led  me  to  snpposo 
that  it  differed  from  the  inner  consolidated  beaches  at  Portu 
Seguro  or  Santa  Cruz. 

I  made  my  first  acquaintance  with   the   coral-reefs  of 
Brazil  while  at  Porto  Seguro,  in  18(3(3.      I  had  been  for 

*  This  word,  as  I  shall  sliow  further  on,  is  deriverl  from  the  Arabic  ".vord 
razlf,  which  means  literally  a  pavement.  Sometimes  the  form  arrccifi  is  used. 
Compare  reef,  Eng.,  riff,  Germ.,  and  r^cif,  Frenv.h.     See  Recife  in  Index. 


THE  ISLANDS   AND   CORAL   REEFS   OF   THE   AliROLIIOS.      VM 

several  days  collecting  on  the  stonc-rccf  or  consolidated 
licacli,  Ijelbrc  1  heard  of  the  outer  reef.  There  was  nothing 
that  I  could  learn  from  the  fishermen  that  could  warrant 
nil'  iu  considering  it  as  anything  else  than  a  consolidated 
Ik'iuIi;  but  my  studies  of  the  latter  classj  of  reel's  had  satis- 
fuil  uic  that  the  outer  reef  could  not  p(jssil)ly  he  of  that 
character,  and  when,  on  a  si)ring  tide,  1  visited  it,  in  com- 
[laiiy  with  Mr.  Copeland,  1  was  not  astonished  to  fmd  it 
cuiii})osed  of  coral.  On  that  short  visit  1  collected  all  the 
jii'iiicipal  corals  found  on  the  coast,  and  made  out  ([uitc 
sitisi'actorily  the  general  structure  of  the  reef,  and  of  the 
(.•lia[H'iiu('s  which  surround  it.  1  soon  felt  satisfied,  from  all 
that  1  could  learn  from  the  garoupa  fishermen,  that  the  Ah- 
rulhus  rccifcs  were  true  coral  reefs,  and  my  companion  and 
1  were  on  the  point  of  visiting  them  when  we  received  let- 
ters from  Professor  Agassiz,  desiring  us  to  come  immedi- 
ately to  Rio,  to  return  home  with  the  expedition. 

At  Rio  I  found  Mouchcz's  chart  of  the  Abrollios,  on 
which  is  a  note  describing  the  reefs  of  the  Abrollios  so 
clearly  as  to  leave  no  doubt  as  to  their  being  immense  coral 
reers.  In  order  to  settle  the  question  I  returned  to  lirazil 
tlie  next  summer,  and  went  over  the  reef  grounds  of  the 
Ahiullios  as  thoroughly  as  my  time  and  the  slim  means  I 
could  eoiumand  would  allow^* 

The  coast  of  Brazil,  north  of  Cape  Frio,  has  quite  a  rich 
p'tlyp-fauiia,  but  very  few  of  the  madre])orian  jiolyps  cross 
the  suullicrn  tropic.  The  Bay  of  Rio  offers  only  insignifi- 
cant representatives  of  that  order.  All  the  specimens  I 
could  obtain  were  Astrangiu),  growing  in  small    scattered 


*  I  iTjrrct  exceedingly  that  I  have  not  yet  been  «l)le  to  use  tlic  dredge  on  the 
"raziliim  const ;  hut  I  hope  that  my  studies  of  Nature  in  the  tropics  are  only 
the  preface  to  more  thorough  and  detailed  explorations  in  the  future. 


192 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


cells,  on  stones  and  dead  shells  in  the  shallow  water  ofl"  the 
Ilha  do  Coveniador.  Professor  Agassiz  tells  me  that  a  fme 
s})ecies  ol'  J'oritcs  had  been  collected  at  Rio,  and  he  iilsd 
informs  me  that  corals  have  l)een  Ibund  at  Desterro,  in  tlic 
bay  of  Santa  Catharina,*  a  locality  which,  thongh  extra- 
tropical,  so  far  as  latitude  is  concerned,  is  not  really  so  in 
the  character  of  its  climate.  Many  species  of  Actinias  are 
found  in  the  harbor  of  Rio,  together  Avith  one  species  of  Ihaf 
curious  locomotive  halcyonoid,  Rcnilla  {R.  Dana  VeriiH), 
On  the  masonry  of  the  new  Custom-IIouse  docks  at  liio  1 
collected  in  abundance  a  slender,  branching,  tender,  nodose 
halcyonoid  undetermined. 

As  we  go  northward  from  Cape  Frio  the  madreporiaiis 
become  quite  common  on  the  rocky  shores,  though  the  spe- 
cies are  not  numerous,  and  they  are  associated  Avith  species 
of  Millcporo,  ZoaiUhus,  and  PaI//(/ioa,  and  various  gorjio- 
nians.  I  have  already  called  altention  to  the  coral  faiiim 
of  Guarapary  and  Victoria,  and  I  have  stated  that  1  have  no 
evidence  of  the  existence  of  any  banks  of  living  corals  or 
reefs  south  of  the  region  of  the  Abrolhos.  Here  the  condi- 
tions for  the  growth  of  coral  reefs  on  a  large  scale  arc  re- 
markably favorable.  Over  large  areas  the  water  coverinir 
the  great  submarine  shelf,  on  Avhich  the  islands  arc  based 
is  much  uiuler  one  hundred  feet  in  depth,  and  it  is  warm 
and  pure.  ^So  it  is  not  to  be  Avondered  at  that  very  laruc 
coral   reefs,  both  fringing  and  barrier,  are  found  here. 

When  the  tide  goes  out  there  is  seen  extending  ronnd 
about  one  half  the  circumference  of  the  island  of  Santa 
Barbara  a  fringing  reef,  shoAvn  in  the  little  map  on  page 
177. t     One  may  then  Avalk  out  on  its  IcA-el  surface  as  on  a 

*  Collected  by  Mr.  F.  Mullcr. 

t  This  reef  is  also  ripresentcd  in  the  cut  on  p.  175. 


THE   ISLANDS   AND   CORAL   REEFS   OF  THE   ADROLHOS.      103 


wluu'f,  and  from  its  rag.ircd  edge  look  straight  down  through 
ll. '  limpid  grcou  water  and  see  the  sides  of  the  I'eef  and  the 
Mil  liottom  eovered  with  luige  wliitish  coral-heads,  together 
with  u  weaUh  of  curious  things  not  to  be  obtained  witliout 
a  dredge. 

Tlie  surface  of  tlic  reef,  though  flat,  is  somewhat  irregu- 
lar.    It  rises  but  a  short  distance  al)ove  h>\v-\vater  mark, 
and  it   is  overgrown  with  l)arnacles,  shells,  nmssels,  and 
sLMiiida-tulies,   together   Avith    large    slimy    patches    of  the 
coninion   leather-colored    PaJytlioa.     The    reef  a])Ounds  in 
small  jtools,  some  shallow  and  sandy,  others  deep,  rocky, 
and  irregular.     The  former  often  contain  scattered  masses 
cf  I'orals,   particularly   Sidrrasfrfca  and    Fcivia,  and    they 
aliound  in  small  shells,  crabs,  Ojihiurcc,  &c.  ;   l)ut  the  deep 
podls   arc    the  richest  in  life.     These   arc  usually  heavily 
chapod  on  the  sides  with  brilliantly  tinted  sea-weeds  and 
corallines,  the  l)arc  rock  being  gay  with  l)ryozoa  and  hy- 
ihoids.     The  most  common  coral  of  these  })ools  is   Si/frr- 
(!str(ca  sfi'l/dfn  Verrill.*     This  is  a  coral  growing  in  round- 
ed or  hemis{)herical   masses  with    small  cells.     Professor 
Vi'irill  states   that  it  "  dilfcrs  from   S.  raduins  in  having 
laruor  cells,  which  appear  more  open  ;  thinner  septa,  and 
euiiscquently  wider  intervening  spaces ;  and  four  complete 
evcles  of  septa."     This  coral  rarely  ever  forms  masses  more 
than  six  inches  in  diameter,  though  I  have  collected  speci- 
mens <S-12  inches  in  length.    Its  color  when  alive  varies 
much.     Tsually  it  is  of  a  very  pale  pinkish  tint,  almost 
white,  and  it  is  not  unfrcquently  blotched  with   deepened 
spots  of  the  same  color. 

It  is  often  seen  growing  in  tide-pools  in  the  reefs  and 
rocks,  with  only  just  Avater  enough  to  cover  it.    On  the  stone- 


VOL.    I, 


*  Trnns.  Conn.  Acad.,  18G8,  p.  353. 
9 


H 


104 


GEOLOGY  AND    I'lIYSICAL   GKOGRAI'HY. 


reefs,  as  at  fiuarapary  ami  Porto  Sc;j:uro,  it  is  ofton  soon  in 
tlic  jxjols  cx])osod  for  several  hours  to  the  full  ljlaz(!  of  tin 
sun,  and  of  course  liahlc  to  jrreat  and  sudden  changes  df 
teinj)craturc.  These  pools  are  also  likely  to  he  very  nuicli 
freshened  hy  heavy  showers  while  the  tide  is  down.  Near 
TJahia  1  have  seen  it  growinji;  in  tide-jjools  al)ove  sea  li\(l. 
and  (o  which  the  waves  had  access  only  at  hiiili  tide.  It 
seems  to  stand  exposure  to  the  air  with  impimily ;  foi-  (in 
the  reef  at  Porto  Se.uuro  I  have  observed  it  exposed  to 
a  hot  sun  for  an  hour  or  more  tluring  a  spring  tide,  li 
is  not  confined  to  the  tide-pools,  hut  occurs  also  on  the 
submerged  border  of  the  reef,  Avhere  1  have  collected  il  in 
a  depth  of  o-4  feet  at  low  tide.  This  species  appears  td 
range  from  Ca})C  Frio  northward  beyond  Pernanibuco, 
Professor  Vcrrill  has  separated  under  the  name  var.  con- 
ferta  what  aj)i)ears  to  be  a  variety,  and  which  is  distin- 
guished by  having  in  the  centi-al  portion  cells  defornicil 
throuiih  crowding:.  These  cells  are  irresxular,  and  (Icoiicr 
than  the  normal  ones  near  the  basal  margin.  Their  soiitii 
and  dividing  walls  are  more  elevated  and  convex,  am! 
sometimes  adjacent  cells  arc  united  by  the  breaking  down 
of  these  walls.  Usually  with  Sidcrastrcca  occur  two  s]ic- 
cies  of  Fan'a, —  F.  o^rarida  Verr.  and  F.  confrrta  Vcrr, 
The  former — a  solid,  heavy  coral  sometimes  flattened,  and 
incrusting  stones  or  dead  coral,  sometimes  in  round  uiasses 
rarely  iiiorc  than  three  or  four  inches  in  width  —  is  allied  to 
F.  A/Kinas  and  F.  Frag-nm  of  the  AVest  Indies;  but  Profes- 
sor A'errill  siiows  that  it  has  more  spiny  costa)  than  either 
of  those  species,  while  the  septa;  are  narrower  and  sharper. 
The  other  species,  F.  confrrta,  forms  small  liemisiilieri- 
cal  masses  of  about  the  same  size  as  in  the  fornu'r  species. 
It  is  interesting  because  of  its  atlinity  to  Goiiidsfircd,  while 


THE   ISLANDS   AND   CORAL   REEFS   OF   THE   AHRoLHOS.      V.Kt 


it  stands,  nccordiiifr  to  Professor  Vcrrill,  in  sonic  rosjtocts 

ininiucdiate  between  the  genera    luivia  and   Mfrdiif/riini. 

A  li(iuisi»licrical   or  almost  p'loliular  coral  with  hirue  cidls, 

Anitilluisfraa   Brazil icns in    Veriill,   which    is   connnoii  on 

llic  liordcr  of  the   reefs   lielow  low-watermark,  is   rarely 

ever  funnd   in   the  tide-])Ools,  though  1   have  occasionally 

rollcctcd  it  from  the  deeper  ones.     On  the  edge  of  the  reef 

it  giNiws  to  a  very  large  size.     The  color  is  a  pale  gray, 

when  seen  in  the  water.     This  is  one  of  the  corals  most 

iiistitnnental  in  laiilding  up  the  reefs.    Occasionally  an  Aii-a- 

nV/r/,  closely  allied  to,  if  not  identical  with,  the  West  Indian 

.4.  Ag'driritrs  Kdw.  and  Ilaime,  is  found  in  one  of  the  little 

|iiH»ls.     It  is  a  thin,  sjjreading  coral,  attached  liy  one  side, 

and  resembles  the  flat  woody  fimgi  growing  on  dead  tinilier 

or  llie  stumps  of  trees.     This  s))ecies  often  occurs  almost 

nt  Hie  water  level.     At  Villa  A'elha,  and  elsewhere,  it  is 

found   attached    to   Miiascc.     It   apj)eai\s   to   extend    along 

the  whole   coast  between  A'ictoria   and  Cape  Sao  Ro(|ue. 

Tlio  above  arc  the  principal  madreporian  corals  found  in 

llic  tide-pools.      I  have    only   rarely   ol)served    millej)ores 

growing  in  the  pools,  and  these  either  in  the  deeper  or  the 

linnid,  sandy-bottomed  ones  on  the  reef.     Tlie  oidy  s]»ecies 

was  M,   Brazi/icnsis   Verrill,  a   species   easily  recognized 

among  the  Brazilian  millepora)  by  the  peculiar  form  of  its 

branches,  which  Pi'ofessor  Veri'ill  has  desci'ibed  a^  "•  erect, 

angular,  or  flattened,  or  forming  broad,  convoluted,  and 

folded  rough  jdates,  with  acute  edges  and  sunnnits  ;   the 

sides  covered  with   sharp,  irregular,  angular,  crest-shaped, 

and  conical  prominences  varying  much  in  size  and  elevation, 

often  beeoniing  continuous  ridges,  usually  standing  at  right 

angles  to  the   sides  of  the   branches."     Professor  A'errill 

suggests  that  this  may,  after  all,  be  only  a  variety  of  his  J/. 


i!in 


GKOLOCY   AND   PHYSICAL   C.KOr.nAIMIY. 


)ii/i'f/(i,  Imt  I  liavo  never  seen  any  intcrmcdiato  foriiH. 
This  31.  Ih'dziUcnsis  sometimes  f^rows  to  (|iiite  a  lariic  >\/y, 
and  it  ranges  aloiij;  the  whole  coast  fi'om  the  Ahrolhus  to 
I'('rnaml)iu'().  On  the  suhmerjijed  hordcr  of  this  reef  o'ciii' 
the  heatitiful  si)ecies  of  Massa  and  Siji)i/i/i/j//i(i,  with  uhiili 
I*r()fessor  \'eri'iii  has  associated  my  name.* 

While  at  Santa  Barbara  the  weather  was  nnfuvoralilr  for 
an  examination  of  the  reef  li(dow  low-water  mark,  and  my 
collections  wcro  principally  made  froni  the  surface  of  tlu' 
reef  and  from  the  tide-i)Ools. 

Of  troi'goiiians  I  collected  the  same  species  as  I  fMiiinl 
at  A'ictoria,  namely,  ILjmenogorg'ia  qucrcifoUa,^  TJ/iiii<'rii 

*  Mnssa  Ilartlii  Vcrrill  is  distiiift  IVoin  nil  otlicrs  in  its  iT;,'ular  cclN  mil 
its  costiu,  wliicli  are  l'iirni>lK'(l  with  stion;,',  sliai|>,  and  recurved  spiius,  It 
{jrows  in  },nH'at  abundance  on  the  sid)in('rj:('d  hordcr  of  the  recf»  in  .'t - ti  tVut 
water  nt  low  tide,  fbrniinj;  hcautif'ul  lienii.-|)hcrieal  lioufiuets  a  foot  or  lun  in 
diameter.  The  color  of  the  coral  when  alive  is  pale  whitish.  It  i.s  very  tVa- 
gile,  and  seems  to  prefer  sheltered  localities,  and  I  do  not  believe  that  it  grows 
on  the  out.-ide  border  of  the  reefs,  wdiich  is  expo-ed  to  tlie  heavy  surf.  It  <M(iir«, 
also,  at  I'ernambnco,  Porto  Seizure,  and  elsewhere.  With  it  is  found  aiiotlir 
form,  which,  thou;;h  closely  reseinl)linj^  it.  Professor  Verrill  considers  to  be 
gencrically  distinct,  and  has  called  Si/nipliyllid  Iltirttii,  jriving  the  same  siMcitic 
name  in  case  it  should,  after  all,  prove  to  be  ideniieal  with  the  above. 

t  This  IIi/iii(iiii(/iiri/i<i  is  exceedinji'ly  abundant  on  the  Rra/.ilian  coast,  rcjin'- 
scntin<.f  in  the  Brazilian  polyp-fauna  the  R/iipiddijnrqid'  of  the  West  Iiidiiui 
faumi.  Professor  Verrill  describes  it  as  follows  :  "  It  forms  broad,  fan-sh:iiKil 
fronds,  often  two  feet  liigh  and  a  foot  broad,  consisting  of  broad,  IbliiKuoiK 
branches,  often  resend)ling  oakdcaves  in  form  ;  but  at  other  times  lari;c,  ov;'.l, 
and  irregularly  incised  or  palmate.  The  branches  of  the  axis  are  sleuiler  mil 
rounded,  and  pass  through  the  fronds  like  the  midribs  of  leaves.  The  rather 
consjiicnous,  flat  cells  arc  scattered  over  the  sides  of  the  fronds."  The  cnler 
when  alive  varies  from  an  ashen-gray  to  a  light  yellow  or  ])ink.  The  hiitcr 
color  often  deepens  in  spots.  It  grows  on  the  rocks  and  stone-reefs  in  iK :»r 
water,  and  on  the  submerged  border  of  the  coral-reefs.  It  ranges  downwapl 
to  A  depth  of  5  -  6  feet  or  more.  It  is  ajit  to  fade  in  drying.  On  the  tVond^  a 
small  parasitic  Oruhim  [0.<jiU)osum)  is  often  found.  Professor  VerriLl  has  mm'-^ 
recently  restored  both  this  and  the  West  Indian  Rlilindogorgia  Jiubcllnm  to  the 
genus  (rorrjonia. 


"'•'WJBiuiiii-,,    - 


TIIK   ISLANDS   AND   CORAL   RHEFS   OF   TIIF,   AIUtOLIIOS.      IM? 

hnni/is,*  and  IVcvanrrlhi  (lii-liolonm.  f  Tlic  sliiilldw, 
sniiily-liottoiiu'd  pools  over  the  red'  nrc  more  or  loss  iii- 
c'lusti'il  Avilli  inviriiliir  niassos  of  a  ealcarcous  (l('|)osit,  con- 
sisting' of  an  aj^ilutination  of  sci'iMila-tnltcs,  nnliipoiTs, 
hiyo/.oa,  (^'C,  which  nsnally  lie  in  i-athcr  loose  (lakes  on 
the  surface,  anil  are  easily  tnrneil  o\-cr  liy  the  liiind  ; 
niiiili  of  the  reef  itself  is  covered  in  the  same  way.  'I'lie 
under  sides  of  these  masses,  whl(;h  are  generally  concave, 
iin  iucrnstcd  with  heantifnl  lirvo/oa,  and  Inrm  hidiim-- 
jilai'cs  for  great  nnmltei's  of  sj)ceies  of  marine  worms, 
cliitiiiis,  little  crustaceans,  ojdiiurans,  itc.  Henealh  this 
cr.ist  nestle  in  jri'cat  abundance  several  int(>restini:-  species 
(if  •' lirittlo  stars."  The  most  common  of  these  is  the 
laruc  Op/iiiim  cincrca  Lynum  ;  almost  (piitc  as  alam- 
(!ant  arc  the  pretty  Ophiothrix  violacni  Miiller  and 
Trtisihel,  and  Ophioncrcis  reticulata  Liitken.  The  othci- 
sjiccics  collected  on  the  re  .Ts  were  Ophioiii/i.rii  Jhtcnda 
liiitkcn,  0/)/iiactis  Krchsii  Liitken,  and  Ojf/iio/rjtis  jxi/iri- 
spiiiii  Midler  and  Troschcl.J  All  of  the  aliove  species  are, 
!icroi-(ling  to  Professor  Verrill,  memliers  also  of  the  AVest 
Indian  fauna,  and  it  is  interesting  to  ohservc  the  occnri-eiu-c 
litic  of  the  huge  West  Indian  starfish,  Orcaslrr  <i-i<'-i(s 
Mitkcu,  of  which  I  collected  two  fine  specimens  at  Santa 
llailiara,  together  with  another  West  Indian  s])(>cies.  Lhirkia 
uniil/iojiiis    Liitken.      The    sea-urchin,    common   at    Santa 


*  Ennicrn  /iitwl.is  E(l\v.  and  Ilaiine  is  n  ^^orfionian  easily  rc'coL'tiizcil  \)\  its 
prowiii;:  ill  low,  densely  branched  eluinps,  with  sliort  thick  hraneliis,  the  eolor 
liciii;:  ii>ually  lemon-yellow.     It  is  a  very  common  species  iilon;;-  the  coast. 

t  I'I'riinnlla  (lirlidfitina  Ki'illiker  is  another  f,^or;:otiiiin,  with  few,  lar^i'e,  round, 
iilunt-tip|icd  and  thick-harked  branches  of  a  dark  brown  color  when  dry.  It 
i>  a>  ciMniMon  as  the  preceding,'. 

}  In  the  collection  of  radiates  made  by  Mr.  Copel.ind  ami  myself,  on  the 
Uunxr  Exjiedition,  there  are  several  additional  species  of  Ojihiurans. 


11)8 


GEOLOGY  AND   PHYSICAL  GKOGRAl'in'. 


Barliara  aiul  along  the  Brazilian  coast,  Professor  VcnJH 
considers  lo  Ijc  tlie  same  as  the  AVcst  Indian  sj)ecics  Ec/iino 
))ir/ra  Michi'lini  Desor,  and  I  am  unable  to  detect  nny 
dirferenec  Ijetween  the  Ahn^lhos  specimens  and  tli^so 
whicli  I  have  collected  at  St.  Thomas.  Many  of  the  sjiciii's 
of  shells  connnon  on  the  JJrazilian  coast,  south  of  Iwiliia. 
ajipear  to  1)0  identical  with  West  Indian  forms,  and  one  is 
astonished  to  And  at  Periuimhuco,  IJahia,  tlie  Ahrolhus, 
and  Victoria  the  large  Cassis  Cameo  *  a  shell  so  conuuMi 
iri  the  AVest  Indian  waters.  Professor  Verrill  has  cjillcil 
attention  to  tlie  numl)er  of  sjiecies  of  Kehinodt.'rms  in  tlie 
Bi-azilian  fauna  that  arc  identical  with  West  Indian  fonns, 
in  contrast  with  the  almost  complete  distinctness  of  \h^ 
polyp-fauntc  of  the  two  regions  ;  and  he  lias  suggested  iliat 
an  ex[ilanation  might  he  found  in  the  fact  that  the  JvliiinH 
dei'ms  renuun  longer  in  the  swimming  larval  form  tnan  tlii' 
polyps,  and  may  he  carried  to  greater  distances  hy  curii'iits. 
There  is  no  cluincc  by  which  West  Indian  species  couM  lie 
cari'ied  south  of  Capo  Sao  Ro(pie,  owing  to  the  ei[iiatnri;il 
curi'cnt  which  sets  along  shore  from  Ihat  cape  nortliwcst- 
wai'd  across  the  mouth  of  the  Anui/.onas,  whose  fresh  walcrs 
must  have  long  presented  a  harrier  to  the  migration  sniitli- 
ward  of  shallow  water  species. f  It  is  interesting  to  ohscnt? 
that  on  the  Hrazilian  coast,  south  of  I'ernamhuco  at  least. 
\ve  rmu  no  Diddri/ias  or  Tri/tiiiiis/is,  forms  s(j  exceeiliiiuly 
characteristic  of  the  AVest  Indian  Echino(leriu  fauna. 

The  material  composing  the  reef  is  :ui  exceedingly  lianl, 
wliitish  linu'stone,  ringing  under  the  luunmiu-,  and,  so  fa!' as 
1  had  an  opportunity  to  examine  it, —  for  the  Brazilian  reels 


*   FoniHi'l\'  calli-'d  C'dssis  MiKlni/asniriiniils. 

t  I'nili --cir  N'crrill  s\i}r'j;c'sts,  liowcvor,  tliat  t\w  i^pccies  foiiml  i\\  l"itli  liUiiKi.' 
iiiav  lia\i'  III  uia'uil  iiDiiliintnl  U'ltiu  Iira/.il. 


THF.   ISLANDS   AND   CORAL    KLKFS    OF   TlIK   AllIiOLHOS.      ][K} 

are  never  Urokcu  up  by  tlic  surf, —  sliowing  no  distinct  trace 
oforLiauic  structure.  The  Santa  J>arl)ara  reef  ext(Mi(ls  around 
aliout  one  third  of  the  ishind,  and  on  the  northwestern  sid(} 
it  reaches  across  to  the  "  Cemetery,"  so  that  when  the  tide 
is  ;ln\vn  that  islet  is  joined  to  the  main  isUuid  hy  a  hroad,  level 
jilatt'u'in  of  rock,*  diversified  hy  tide-pools,  and  forming'  an 
exi'clleiit  collecting-irround  for  the  naturalist.  Tin;  reef, 
Imilr  lip  principally  of  AcaiU/i((str(fja,  Sidcras/rfca,  t^'c,  has 
completed  its  growth  on  arriving  at  low-tide  level,  the  up- 
per surliice  being  still  farther  added  to  by  s(M'puhe,  bryo- 
/oa,  corallines,  barnacles,  etc.,  together  with  the  coral-sand 
and  (/rhris  of  shells  accumulating  on  the  reef. 

So  far  1  have  spoken  only  of  fringing  reefs,  l)ut  therc^  are 
(itlicr  coral  structures  of  greater  interest  in  these  waters. 
Corals  grow  over  the  bottom  in  small  patches  in  the  open 
sen,  and,  without  spreading  nuich,  often  rise  to  a  height 
of  forty  to  fifty  or  more  feet,  like  towers,  and  sometimes 
attain  the  level  of  low  water,  forming  what  are  called  on 
the  iha/.ilian  coast  c/iapcirocs.'f  At  the  top  these  are  usually 
very  irregidar,  and  sometimes  spread  out  like  mushrooms, 
or,  as  the  lishermen  say,  like  umbrellas.  J  Some  of  these 
(■li;i|)eiro('s  ai'e  only  a  few  feet  in  diameter.  A  i'vw  miles 
to  thi'  eastward  of  the  AI)rolhos  is  an  area  with  a  length  of 
nine  to  ten,  and  in  some  places  a  breadth  of  four  miles,  ovt.T 
whirl)  these  structures  grow  very  abundantly,  forming  the 
wfll-known  Parcel  §  dos  Abrolhos,  on  which  so  many  vessels 
luive'  been  wrecked. 


*  The  rci't'  is  re]>rcscntt'(l  in  the  woodcut  on  pa^c  175,  l)iit  the  ceniotery  has 
uufdrtiiiKitily  l)iHMi  oiiiitted.     See  also  iii:i|)  on  pui^e  177. 

t  SiiiLrul;ir  <li(iiwiri\i),  jtroiioiuiced  sliiiji-n-rdint^,  tlie  »i'  iT|iresi'iitiiit:  ii  >triiiiL,' 
iiiis:il.  'I'lic  wonl  means  literally  <i  bi;/  Intl.  In  the  jjlural  it  is  clmiitiiCus,  pro- 
nouiieeil  nhiiji-d-tiV-i n'x. 

\  Thf  Duteh  nsed  to  call  them  "Jesuits," 

§  Tlie  word  i>iinil  means  sIkmI  or  linhlin  ruck,  phir.  /Kirrcis. 


200 


GEOLOdV   AND    PHYSICAL   GKOGHArilV. 


I  visited  ill  my  launch  tlie  nortliwcstorn  part  of  tliis  nvf. 
wlioro  the  cliajiciroes  were  sunieieiitly  Kcattcrcd  to  allow  hk' 
to  sail  alioiit  ainon^"  them. 

Amoii<^  these  chapeirues  I  measured  a  depth  of  sixtci'ii  tn 
tweiiiy  metres,  and  once,  Avhilc  becalmed,  1  found  twrntv 
metres  alongside  one  ehapeirao  and  three  metres  on  tnj,, 
The  ehapeirocs,  as  a  general  thing,  are  rarely  ever  laid  liaiv 
hy  the  tide.  They  are  here,  as  elsewhere,  of  all  heights 
and  dimensions  ;  hut  in  no  Ciis(!  do  they  reach  low-w  iitcr 
lev(d,  nor,  according  to  the  testimony  of  the  lishei'incu  ami 
whalers,  are  they  ever  in  any  part  uncovered.  They  do  uoi 
coalesce  here  to  form  larue  reefs  as  tliev  do  to  the  wot  (if 
the  islands.  AVlien  the  weather  is  clear  and  cloudless  aiiil 
the  water  calm,  these  chapeiroes  can  he  readily  distingiii>liiil 
at  a  considerable  distance.  The  surface  of  the  sea  apjieais 
to  Ite  flecked  Ity  shadows  from  a  sky  full  of  scuttcivil 
cloudlets,  jiroducing  a  striking  effect.  The  watei-,  bciiii: 
shallow  and  clear,  and  with  a  sandy  l)ottom,  is  of  a  vory 
light  greenish  tinge,  like  that  of  the  Niagara  River  at  Du/- 
falo.  T\\o  general  color  of  the  chapeiroes  is  lirowii.  \hnu 
tliei'-  bciiio-  incrusted  with  ])atclies  of  Ptif/jf/ioii,  ami  llu'ir 
])Osition  is  marked  by  brownish  spots  on  the  surface  of  the 
sea.  1'.  the  daytime  a  launch  nuiy  sail  in  safety  anidim 
them  in  calm  weather,  and  a  small  vessel  may  traverse 
some  of  the  chapeirito  grounds  without  danger,  but  larL^c 
ships  are  likely  to  find  themselves  in  a  labyrinth  iVoiii 
which  esca])e  is  not  easy.*  In  windy  weather  the  waves 
lireak  over  the  chajteiroes,  but  if  there  are  white  caps  lie- 
side,  and  a  cloudy  sky,  their  ])osition  cannot  1)0  made  out, 
and  it  is  safest  to  keep  well  away  from  them.  In  stormy 
weather  there  is  nothing  to  mark  their  position,  and  tlitv 

*  See  ("hart  of  Alu'ullios  bv  Mouclio/,,  note. 


Tlin    ISLANDS   AND   CORAL   RKEFS   OF   THF-:    ARKOLHOS.      201 


are  very  dangerous.  Sometimes  vessels  striking  heavily  on 
small  chapeirocs  l)reak  them  off,  and  cseapc  willmuL  rccciv- 
iiiL''  any  serious  injury,  as  has  been  remarked  liy  Mouclic/. 
At  other  times  a  vessel  may  run  upon  one  of  these  struc- 
U\v^'<  and  stiek  fast  hy  the  middle  of  the  keel,  to  tlie  amaze- 
niciit  of  the  eai)tain,  who  finds  deep  water  all  around,  the 
vessel  heing  perched  on  the  chapeirao  like  a  weather-eock 
on  the  tt)p  of  a  tower.  Ordinarily  in  passing  the  Aliiolhos 
vessels  and  steamships  go  outside  of  these  reels  to  the  east- 
wiird  in  sight  of  the  islands.  It  is  not  easy,  however,  to 
ciili'ulate  one's  distance  from  a  jjoint  at  .sea,  and  especially 
fn  ni  a  liglit  by  night,  and  many  vessels,  notwithstanding 
the  lighthouse,  have  been  wrecked  \\\um  them.  West  of 
the  islands  there  is  deep  water,  and  no  cliapeiroes,  and 
lietween  the  islands  and  the  Paredes  there  is  a  channel 
aliout  eight  miles  in  width,  with  plenty  of  \vat(,'r  and  no  ob- 
structions. The  best  way  in  [lassing  close  to  the  Abrolhos 
is  til  go  to  the  westward  of  the  islands,  where  one  may  run 
(h)se  to  them  with  safety  even  in  the  night-time,  'inhere  is 
then  no  danger  whatever,  ami  the  sea  is  smoother.  On 
the  return  voyage  from  Rio,  September,  18G7,  the  American 
steamship  "South  America"  was,  at  the  suggestion  of  the 


writer,  taken  through  this  channel.     In  case  of  n 


eeess 


itv 


O'lKK 


1  anchorage  nuiy  1)C  found  close  in  ])y  the  island  of  Sfa. 
Dailiaia  on  the  northern  or  southern  side,  as  the  direction 
of  the  wind  may  determine. 
Kiuht  miles  iu)rthwest  of  the  islands,  liet 


ween  tiiem  nut 


1 

the  mainland,  is  the  Parcel  das  Paredes,  literally,  The  Shoal 
"1  tilt'  Walls,  an  irregular  area  aliout  seventeen  miles  long 
li'im  north  to  south,  ami  some  nine  miles  in  wi<lth,  occupied 
y  extensive  reefs  and  chapeirocs.     ^louche/,  has  only 

11  that 


I IV  vc 


iven  the  general  outline  of  the  Pai-cel,  whicl 


1  was  a 


202 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRArilY. 


was  really  necessary  for  his  chart.  '^^I'hc  reefs  within  tin.. 
Parcel  ai-e  not  drawn  from  an  actual  survey,  and  have  nu 
approach  towards  accuracy. 

In  the  northern  [)art  of  the  Parcel  the  chapeirocs  so 
closely  unite  as  to  form  an  immense  reef,  which  has  giowii 
upward  to  a  little  above  the  level  of  low  water,  and  is  ipiiic 
uncovered  at  low  tide.  This  reef,  as  arc  all  the  others,  is 
exceedingly  ragged  in  outline,  full  of  indentations,  iuil 
ahoimds  in  shallow  pools.  The  fishermen  descrilic  two 
channels  that  enter  the  reef  from  the  north,  and  ahiiost 
separate  it  into  three  parts.  !My  captain,  Jacol)  Torgjiiscii. 
an  intelligent  Dane,  says  that  the  water  in  these  <jliaii- 
nels  is  quite  deep.  The  northeastern  ])art  of  this  net'  is 
called  the  Pecife  do  Lixo,  Lecauso  of  the  abundance  of  a 
shark-like  ray  called  the  lixo,  which  is  furnished  with  lai^o 
crushing  teeth,  and  freipicnts  the  reef  in  search  of  shcll- 
lish,  on  which  it  feeds. 


ItKtll  K    DO    I.IXO. 


I  s](cut  one  tide  on  the  Recife  do  Lixo,  during  the  fui' 
moon  of  the  loth  of  August,  ll^GT,  when  the  reef  was  un- 
covered, and  (.'xamined  it  quito  carefully. 


THE   ISLANDS   AND   CORAL   HKLFS   OF   TIIK   AlillOLIIOS.      l^U.") 

Tilt'  surface  of  the  rocf  was  i'('inarkal)ly  even  in  liciulit,  and 
(•(ivcictl  laruelv  l>v  calcareous  sand,  on  which  were  patches 
111'  (lead  coral  inci'usted  with  niille]Mjres,  harnaclcs,  .serpuhe, 
^^'..  with  occasional  living  coi'als,  such  as  Siilrrastiurti  sfc/fa/a 
mid  l^iirid,  and  perhaps  a  Porifcs  solida.  'I'he  dead  coials, 
iuiHipi»res,  A'C,  usually  forinin,u;  incrustini:'  masses  ovvv  the 
siml.  so  lo(jso  as  to  he  easily  tunu'd  over,  atfording  a  rich 
harvest  of  Ophiurans,  uniontr  which  Ojihinra  ciucrfd,  Ophi- 
vHcrris  rr/inddfd,  and  Oji/iiot/irix  tnohimi  were  especially 
aliiiiiilant.  In  some  situations  sea-ui'chins,  Kclnuoiiictra 
Jlir/n  /iiii,  wvw  very  jilentilul.  Voluta:  aiul  Cassis  Cdiiico 
may  IVei[uently  he  picked  up.  'J'he  reel'  is  not  very  ritdi 
in  .Nliell-lish,  ijut  uhounds  in  crustaceans.*     A  largo  naked 


*  Oil  till'  Tliiiycr  cxjieilitioii  Mr.  Copcliiml  ami  I  collected  larLie  niiiiiliersof 
(lu-taccaiis  at  all  tlie  i)riiieiiial  localities  on  the  coast  between  Hio  and  Bahia. 
On  my  second  visit  to  Brazil  I  was  too  nuich  enj,'aued  in  }:eolo;;ical  studies, 
;;iiil  in  my  exaniination  of  the  reefs,  to  make  exti'iisivc  collections.  The  few 
ri'iistaicans  liroii^lit  home  from  the  second  Jouriioy,  my  tViciid,  Mr.  S.  I.  Smith, 
(if  tlir  Shcllicld  Scientitic  School  of  Xe\v  Ihncn,  has  hcen  kind  cnon;:h  to 
(\:iiiiiiu'  ami  descrilie  ;  and  since  writin;.'  the  aiiove  he  has  ])nhli>heil  t\  pajicr  in 
l.x  M'liiiid  volnnie  of  the  Transactions  of  the  Connecticut  Academy  of  Arts  and 
Si  iciut>,  cntitlcil  "  Notice  of  the  Crustacea  collected  liv  I'rofcssoi-  C.  V.  Ilartt  on 


tlk'CnaM  of  Hra/il  in  18()7,  to-cther  with  a  Li-t  of  the 


rilie(l  Si 


of  lira- 


Ill  1 


oddiihtlialnu 


a."     ^Ir.  Smith  enumerates  the  following:  sjiccies  as  occur- 


riii" 


111  tiic  re 


)f  tl 


ic  Alirolho 


.1////- 


iiiii  hicornula  Stimii.,  M itlirarulnx mroiKitiL^ 


imp.,   Mi/hni.r  hlsjiiihis    Edwanls,   Xaiillio  (liiilinihild  White,  C/i!<iiii(llus  i'luri- 


d' I II Hi    (iiiilii 
fl'iiiiiiint  F.dw 


Piimipcus    piilltii^    Smith,    PiiiiojKii.t    Iluittii    Smith,    Kiijili 


ards 


(iDiiiiiiisis  mil  iitiitiis  Dcllaan,   I irniiiiilin  Anhlli 


Still 


'iia 


V 


V'll-inh, 


ami 


iirniiiiUilus  Stimp 


Ciil,- 


'llriilh 


Stim 


( Til, 


illllllllllH    ^ 


lilt  ill, 


I  tISIS 


AljiliiH)!  Iiiltroiliilis  Sav,  ( iiiiiiiiliirli/hi^  r/iinn/ru  Latnillc  | 


Fi'diii  other  localities  were  descrihed  the  follow  iiiL;:   Cidiiiurlin  hiinn  Smith 


riiaiii'iiu'd 


C. 


Kilns  Ordwav,   Caravelh 


('.  Iiirnitiis  Ordwav,   Baliia. 


.Ih, 


'■-'  siiniiiiii 


'■'.  lialiia.      Ciril, 


HH/s  l)e  Ilaan,  Bahia.     .1.  Onlirin/i  Stiiii]).,  Bahia.      I'lii  miihi- 

'iiiiiitriii.'i  ril/iiliin 
,li\ 


KirtOllia    l/llill 


Irnin 


Saussun 


1 


cniamhiico. 


Stiiuj)..  Caravellas,     ('.  siln/iitiiriiis  Stiiii]).,  Caravi 
I'.iiir.,  Hahia.      Puniilii 


( ■/III 

'ri///iiril.<   iii/Ulliii.iKillH 

c/iiniiliii  Smith,  I'ernamliuco.     Pnhemon  Jaiiiniccinii 


204 


GKOLOGY   AND   TIIYSICAL   GKOGRAPIIY. 


mollusk  (^A/i///si(i')*  four  io  five  iiielies  lonji',  grayisli,  aii.l 
oniainciili'd  witli  durk  I'in^s  aiul  spots,  may  sonid lines 
be  round  voiy  ahundantly  on  Ihcso  reels.  Jl  ^'ivcs  (uit  u 
very  copious  dcej)  purjde  lluid  wlien  handled.  Ochipi  mv 
very  eoinnion  in  the  ei'aeks  and  ei'cvices  ol'  the  leid".  Thr 
shallow  pools  are  often  very  I'ieli  in  life. 

The  uniform  hnel  of  the  surface  of  the  reef  hiid  drv  is 
very  remarkable.  So  very  even  and  uncncuml.ercil  is  it 
that  a  loose  coral  a  foot  in  diameter  turned  over,  or  a  cussis 
lying-  on  the  suiiace,  attracts  attention  at  a  long  distance. 
The  reef  is  so  protccletl  that  the  waves  have  no  power  tu 
break  off  its  edges  and  encumber  its  surface,  as  is  the  case 
with  the  coral   reefs  oi'  the  Pacific.     Sand,  resulting  fidin 


Olivier,  Pcnedu.  /'./i^vr/is,  Edwards,  I'ani.  /'.  cnairuJns  Smith,  runi.  Pnum 
Brasilieiisla  LatroiilL',  IJaiiia.     Xiplmiwneus  Jfarttii  Sniitli,  Caravclliis. 

The  list  ol'  the  Brazilian  l'()di)]ilitlialiuia  is  too  lonjj;  to  he  inserted  in  tiiis 
Yolnnie.  A  very  lar;:i'  niiniher  of  the  sjieeies  exaniine<l  liy  Mr.  Sniitli  liavo 
heen  identified  with  West  Indian  or  I'loridan  forms.  Mr.  Smith  sni:;ic~i>  tliat 
one  reason  whv  my  collection  is  so  nuich  rielier  in  jiroportion  in  thi  s>  i'.ir'ii'; 
than  the  Hra/.ilian  collections  heretofore  made,  may  he  heeaiise  my  ((jIKctlDii- 
were  nnide  on  the  reefs  and  rocky  jiarts,  wliile  the  otlu'rs  were  nuule  iit  hio, 
where  there  are  no  coral-reefs.  'J'he  c(dlectin>:-;:ronnds  at  Kio  are  rocky  a<  will 
as  sandy.  I  siisjiect  that  the  true  reason  is  to  he  fonnd  in  the  fact  that  tlu-  cms- 
taccan  faimu  changes  its  character  sonfh  of  Cape  Frio. 

I  called  Mr.  Smith's  attention  to  the  name  Cardiosoma  Gutinliiiin!,  in  whxl. 
the  s])ecitic  name  ai)i)earetl  to  have  heen  derived  from  the  \  .d  (lwiii<uuii  ur 
(iitdiintmii,  the  Tn]a'  name  for  the  S|)ecies.  The  former  is  the  way  it  was  w  vitton 
for  me  hy  a  Brazilian,  hnt  Fonseca  jrives  the  latter  form.  I  feel  (|iiiie  sure  iluit 
the  name  (I'liiii/iiiiiii  was  applied  to  several  distinct  species.  In  reference  tu  I  "i 
11)1(1,  Mr.  Smith  has  sli^^htly  misunderstood  me.  I  do  not  rememhcr  liu'  ]]r(>(iit 
vtilt:ar  nan\e.  A''ca-niia  I  fonnd  in  I'iso,  It  is  Tnpi',  and  means  simply  Vc"!' 
crali,  riyi,  or  more  properly  Ui;a,  meanin;;  rrah  and  una,  lilark. 

*  Mr.  J.  (i.  Anthony  kindly  informs  mc  that  the  species,  of  whicli  I  fiiniidioa 
nnmorous  specimens  to  the  Musenm  of  Comparative  Zo(iloiry,  is  jjnilialily  .1. 
Arr/n  (/'(h-li.  Sander  l{an;j:  deserihes  a  larye  sjiecies,  .1.  Urazilimsis,  fi'oiu  th'; 
Bay  of  Hio.     Hist.  Nat.  des  Aplysies,  p.  .■;.-),  PI.  VIII. 


TIIK   ISLANDS   AND   CORAL   m:i:FS   OF   TIIF.   ARROLIIOS.      20.J 

tlie  (Icciiy  of  coral,  tlic  Ijrcakin^  iij)  of  shells,  Ac,  acoiiinu- 
latcs  vciy  slowly.  The  reef  has  tirowu  as  hiiih  as  is  possi- 
hlc,  iiiul  is  now  (lead,  and  at  the  lowest  tide  it  is  not  more 
iIkiii  two  feet  out  of  water.  An  ordinary  tide  wonld  not 
uncMvcr  it  completely.* 

An  irrejiidar  raised  border,  consisting  principally  of  a 
Liniwth  of  niilleporcs,  serpuhe,  Ijarnacles,  A:e.,  sometimes  a 
foot,  more  or  less,  in  height,  separates  this  part  of  the  reef, 
wiiicli  is  uncovered  at  low  water,  from  that  Avhieh  's  always 
submerged.  It  is  here  that  the  waves  break  at  low  water, 
ami  this  I'avors  the  growth  of  these  animals  more  than  (dse- 
wiicie.  From  the  l)or(ler  this  reef  generally  sh)pes  olT 
iicntly  towards  the  edge  under  water,  where  it  drops  down 
perpendicularly  into  deep  water,  as  at  the  islands.  This 
suliiiuTged  border  at  the  Lixo  has  only  a  few  feet  of  water 
on  it  at  low  tide,  and  one  may  usually  wado  out  to  its  edge 
and  collect.  It  is  a  perfect  garden  covered  with  gi'owing 
curals  of  large  size.  Hero  grows  Acanthastrcca  in  large 
heads,  more  abundant  on  the  edge  of  the  reef.  MUlrpora 
)iilii/(L  W'rrill  forms  pretty  rosettes.  This  interesting 
i-peeies  is  thus  described  by  Professor  Yerrill :  f  — 

'•  Corallum  forming  low  rounded  cliunps,  four  to  six 
ini'lies  high,  consisting  of  short,  rapidly  forking,  rounded 
01'  slightly  compressed  branches,  about  .4  to  .8  of  an  inch 
in  diameter,  which  have  remarkaldy  smooth  surfaces,  and 
are  olitiise,  rounded,  or  even  clavate  at  the  ends.  The 
larger  pores  are  small,  very  distinct,  round,  evenly  scattered 
over  the  sm-face,  at  the  distance  of  .00  to  .1  of  an  inch 
apart.    The  small  })orcs  arc  very  minute,  numerous,  scat- 


*  The  height  of  the  reef  is  probably  in  part  due  to  the  recent  uprise  of  the 
land. 

t  Trans.  Conn.  Acad.,  1868,  p.  362. 


200 


GEOLOGY  AXD   THYSICAL   GEOGHAPIIV. 


tcrod  Itotwccn  the  l{ir<ror  onos,  and  often  show  a  ioiidoiicr 
to  aiTaii}j.('  tlicniselves  in  circles  of  six  or  eight.  The  lissiio 
is,  for  the  genus,  very  firm  and  comjiact."  Tlie  color,  wliin 
alive,  is  light  pinkish.  This  species  is  ahundant  on  the  snli- 
niei'ged  horder  of  the  RrciJ'r  do  Lixo,  growing  in  fi-iiiu 
three  to  four  feet  of  water  at  low  tide.  Some  of  (lie  ro- 
settes 1  collected  lay  (juite  loose  and  without  any  attach- 
ment to  the  reef. 

Among  the  millej)orcs  I  obtained  on  the  Brazilian  coast 
Professor  A'errill  has  distinguished  three  forms  which  so 
closely  agree  with  MillcjMra  alckornis  Liimajus,  that  ln" 
has  separated  them  as  varieties  of  that  si)ecies.  One  of 
these,  car.  cclhdosa  Verrill,  I  found  at  Pernamljuco,  luit  1 
did  not  see  it  alive.  Professor  Verrill  descrihcs  it  as  ful- 
lows :  "  Coralluni  consisting  of  numerous,  irregular,  rath- 
er short  branches,  arising  from  a  thick  base,  branches  j;ro- 
liferous  or  digitate  at  the  ends,  the  last  division  short, 
mostly  comjjresscd  and  acute  at  the  tijis.  Some  of  the 
branches  occasionally  coalesce,  so  as  to  leave  small  open- 
ings. Cells  numerous,  crowded,  rather  largo  for  the  gciiiis, 
each  sunken  in  a  distinct  dej)ression,  the  wall  rising  u]i 
into  an  acute  ridge  between  them,  texture  rather  o])Cii  ami 
coarsely  porous." 

Another  form,  which  differs  from  the  other  in  its  ''  some- 
what more  ])orous  texture,  and  the  greater  regularity  ami 
more  scattered  ai'rangemcnts  of  the  cells,"  together  with  its 
round  and  digitate  branches  and  l)ranchlets,  having  tluvc  to 
five  short  compressed  divisions  at  the  end.  Professor  Ver- 
rill has  referred  with  doubt  to  the  variety  di^-itdta  of  Esjicr. 
The  third  variety  distinguished  by  having  the  biancl;es 
in  the  same  plane,  and  coalescing  in  such  a  way  as  to  lonvc 
fre(iuent  openings,  Professor  A'errill  has  referred  to  the 
M.foh  -trata  Duch.  and  Mich. 


Tin:  ISLANDS   AND   CORAL   IJF.EFS   OF   TIIF   AIinOLIIOS.      207 


l^oth  of  tlicsc  last  occur  ahuiulantly  aloiift-  <lic  coast  from 
Ciii><'  Frio  norllnvard,  as  far  as  I  have  oxaiuiiicd.  Tliey 
sccMii  to  prolbr  the  edge  of  the  reef,  wliere  tlioy  form  beauti- 
ful liroad  frills  of  a  light  yellowish-brown  oi-  i)iukish  color. 
Ill  collecting  these  millc])ores,  I  was  struck  with  their  j)ow. 
crfiil  stinging  properties,  and  they  burned  me  sometimes 
like  hot  iron,  producing  a  sensation  j.recisely  like  that 
caused  by  the  P/i/jsalia,  ov  our  Northern  jelly-fish,  Cijnnca. 
1  was  stung  in  the  same  way  by  the  millepores  of  Ht. 
Thomas.  The  fishermen  who  Averc  with  me  on  the  Bra- 
zilian reefs  handled  these  corals  with  impunity,  but  they 
called  them  "  sea-ginger,"  and  told  me  that  they  were 
accustomed  to  play  practical  jokes  on  land-lubbers  by  jier- 
suading  them  to  taste  them.  1  jiresumc  that  a  thin  and 
delicate  skin  makes  me  more  sensitive  than  most  persons 
'o  the  stinging  proi)erties  of  these  animals.* 

The  Sidcrastrrca  and  Favkc,  already  described  in  speak- 
ing of  the  Santa  Jiarbara  reef,  arc  found  on  the  Recife  do 
Lixo,  bftth  in  the  pools  and  on  the  submerged  border,  and 
associated  with  them  arc  a  few  forms  which  api(ear  to  be 
somewhat  rare,  as  I  could  find  but  few  si)ecimens  of  them. 
Among  these  is  the  species  of  Favia,  described  by  Professor 
Venill  under  the  name  F.  IcptopliyUa,  an  interesting  spe- 
cies which  forms  large  hemispherical  corals,  easily  recog- 
nized by  "  the  very  open,  deep,  roumled  cells  ;  few,  thin, 
liii'jcding  septa;  and  thin  distinct  walls."  Another  and 
Ijcaulifiil  coral  is  Hcliastrcca  aprrta  Yerrill,  which  the 
fitUowiiig  description,  almost  in  Professor  VcM-rill's  own 
words,  will  serve  to  distinguish  :  The  corallum  is  large, 
more  or  less  regularly  hemisjtherical,  sometimes  subsi)her- 

*  Til  is  stinging  propcrtj-  of  tlic  milK'pores  is  in  accordatice  with  their  acele- 
phian  jtriicture,  first  announced  by  Professor  Agassiz. 


208 


GKOr.OGV   AND   PHYSICAL   GKOGHArilV. 


ical,  mid  oftfii  a  foot  and  a  half  in  diainotcr.  The  toxt- 
uro  is  ojicM  and  li.u'lit,  which  (.-hararlcr,  to.Li'cther  with  tlio 
thinner  and  nioic;  acntc  soplii},  serves  to  se))arate  it  IVdiu 
//.  (uirmiosd  Mdw.  and  llainie,  which  it  resenibh's  ii;  tin' 
largo  si/.(>  and  i»roniineiiec  of  its  ci'lls.  Tliesc  in  //.  a/ifiia 
arc  cirenhir,  hirgc,  moderately  dee[),  with  a  broad  central 
area,  the  juargin  projecting  about  .OS  inch  above  the  gen- 
eral surface.  Septa  in  three  coniple'  <'vcles,  narrow,  tliiu, 
subeipial,    the    stnnniits    C(jnsidei'a'  ejecting,    angular. 

acute,  the  inner  edges  nearly  perpendicular,  finely  toothed, 
often  with  a  ilistinct  paliforni  tooth  at  the  base.  Cohiinclla 
well  (h-vidojied,  of  loose,  open  tissue.  Costic  elevated  ami 
thin,  rising  obli([uely  ujiward  to  the  summits  of  the  septa, 
finely  serrate.  Walls  very  thin,  incons})icuous.  This  sjio 
cies  seems  to  be  more  abundant  in  the  iJay  of  Jjaliia  than 
in  the  Alirolhos  region,  and  1  have  frc(piently  scon  it  there 
in  the  heaps  of  corals  brought  from  the  Island  of  Ita]»arica 
to  the  city  for  burning  into  lime. 

A  very  pretty  Prclinid  {P.  Brnzilicnsis  Edw.  airl 
IFaime)  is  another  of  these  api)arently  rare  forms,  of  whidi 
I  have  found  only  a  single  specimen,  which  was  growing  (Hi 
the  reef  borders  at  the  Lixo,  in  about  two  feet  of  water  at 
low  tide. 

On  the  Recife  do  Lixo  I  collected  a  few  specimens  of  a 
massive  Porifcs,  resembling  P.  dudfLilon/tcusis  I)iuli., 
which  is  very  aliundant  on  the  Porto  Seguro  coral-ieol. 
It  is  sometimes  of  a  bright  sulphur-c(dor,  though  it  varies 
very  much  in  tint.  Professor  A'errill  has  described  it  as  a 
new  species  under  the  name  P.  soUda,  and  states  that  it 
dilTers  from  the  West  Indian  forms  in  its  larger  and  decjier 
cells,  thicker  Avails,  wider  and  more  crispate  septa,  and 
more  solid  structure. 


Tin-:    ISLANDS  AND   CORAL   UWJS   OF   THE   ABROLIIOS.      209 


Tlio  licaiity  of  llic  ix'lyp  growth  on  llio  sulnncrtriMl  root' 
lidiilcr  is  iiuich  I'liliant'cd  liy  the  "zi'ciit  liixiiriaiicc  of  llic 
irorcroiiians,  wliicli  arc;  llu'  same  as  those  ali'cady  ob- 
served elsewhere,  hut  on  the  Lixo  ihm'I'  1  (Uscoveicd  a 
lifaiitilul  new  species,  described  liy  rrul'essor  VerriU  iin- 
dci'  the  lumie  of  Gonjonia  i>r(ici/ts.  It  ^rows  in  litth^ 
tut'ts,  al»out  six  to  ei^ht  inches  hiuh,  with  few  skMuh't'  and 
vciy  delicate  branches.  The  color  is  yellow  oi-  iinrjde,  and 
in  iDimh  water  the  species  is  apt  to  be  oNci-looivcd  by  the 
ciillector,  from  its  rosenililanee  to  a  sea-weed.  Towards  the 
ciiii'-,  as  the  water  deepens,  the  reef  grows  more  and  more 
inc^ular.  It  is  full  of  h(»les,  and  almost  wholly  composed 
of  live  ami  li-rowing  corals,  which  furnish  a  very  insecure 
lo(jtiiiir.  On  the  edge  and  sides  grijw  iuimense  coral-heads, 
mill  the  Mitsscc  are  especially  al)undant.  The  outline  of 
the  border  is  excccding'ly  ragged. 

Tlio  height  of  the  ])crpcndicidar  edge  on  the  western 
sjilc  (jf  the  Porto  Seu-uro  and  Lixo  reefs  varies  vcrv  nuich, 
licing  in  some  places  three  or  four  feet,  in  others  ten  feet  or 
mnit'.  1  could  iu)t  examine  it  on  the  eastei'u  side,  owing  to 
the  surf.  1  have  introduced  a  diagram,  showing  the  reef 
us  seen  in  section,  with  the  distril)Ution  of  the  diffei-ent 
species  of  corals  indicated.  Just  alongside  the  reef,  at  least 
oil  the  western  side,  wherever  I  have  examined  it,  —  and 
tlie  same  holds  good  of  the  Porto  Seguro  reef,  —  the  bottom 
shtpes  rapidly  away  from  the  reef-edge,  and  is  composed  of 
a  soft,  bluish,  calcareous  nuul,  washed  from  the  top  of  the 
reef,  which  makes  the  reef  ajtpear  nmcli  lower  than  it  really 
is.  A  short  distance  away,  in  S(mie  places,  a  depth  of  sev- 
enty to  eighty  feet  may  be  found.  The  diagram  on  page 
-11  represents  a  sketch  of  the  edge  of  the  reef  of  the  IJxo, 
with  soiimHngs  made  l)y  myself.     The  large  reefs  ai)j)ear  to 


210 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL    GKOGKAPHY. 


Solitl     Reef    Rook 


JOO  FT. 


B.FT. 


MUD 


50  FT, 


10  FT 


a. 

b. 

cc. 
d. 
e. 

/■ 
/?• 
h. 
i. 
k. 
m. 
n. 

0. 

P- 
r. 


SECTION    ACnOSS    nOUPKR   OF     LIXO    KEEP. 

Tiilp-pool  with  S'ukrnstraa  stelliita  aiid  Fiivia  (jrorhhi. 

Low  (like-like  border  of  ser]mlii-tubcs,  barniicleij,  &c. 

Low-wiitor  level  of  spring  tide. 

S'ulernstvnn  stellatn. 

AcniilliiiKtnca  lirozUiensh. 

I/tllnslrwn  riperta. 

Pin'ilea  solida. 

Milleiwra  Bi  iziliensis. 

^lilleporn  nil  ilia. 

Varieties  of  .'fillepora  ricirornis. 

Gorgnnin  (Uiivifnogorijii)  quercifolia. 

Plexnurella  dirhotuiit't. 

Goryonia  griiciUs, 

Knnicta  humilis. 

^fu8sa  Ilarltii. 


have  been  foniicd  not  only  by  tlic  npwarcl  growtli  of  large 
patches,  but  by  the  fillnig  in  and  coalescence  of  cluipcifms, 
which  is  a  feature  not  hitherto  spoken  of  in  the  growlli  of 
coral  reefs.  The  jxhkIs  on  the  surface  of  the  reef  j)roliiilj1y 
mark  the  intervals  between  the  chai)eiroes  where  the  filling 
in  is  nearly  complete  ;  though  they  may  i-i  some  cases 
mark  spots  where  the  corals  have  been  killed  by  the  drift 
of  sand. 


THE   ISLANDS   AND   CORAL   REEFS  OF   THE   ABROLHOS.      211 


I  visit('(l  tlic  eastern  side  of  (ho  Lixo,  but  the  wiivcs  were 
hniikiiig  with  too  much  force  ti)  allow  me  to  see  auythiiijr 
distinctly.  The  lioalmeii  said  lliat  this  reef  drops  down 
ftcrpondicularly  into  deep  water.  1  ohservcd  no  sand- 
liiwiks  iijion  it.     On  the  westen-  side  of  tiie  Lixo  there  are 


suDMCRneo  border 


Cluqmvuoj  S 


\   r. 


lint  few  ehapeiroos,  hut  the  otlier  sides  ai'o  Ijorch^-ed  hy  an 
aliiuidance  of  them,  and  they  stretch  ofT  southward,  forming 
wiili  two  other  reefs,  called  the  Recife  de  lA\stc  and  Recife 
ila  IVdra  Clrande,  the  rest  of  the  Parcel.  The  Recife  da 
I'dlra  fJrande  Avas  described  by  Jacob  as  being  like  a  wall, 
([uitc  straight,  some  three  miles  in  length,  and  only  two  or 
tliii'o  hundred  feet  wide.  Southwest  of  the  I'aredes  are 
sever"!  other  quite  large  reef-grounds.  One  of  the  reefs, 
C'oi'na  Vermelha,  has  become  converted  into  an  island  by 
tlu'  heaping  up  of  sand  in  the  centre.  There  are  no  reefs 
<'!•  cliapeiroes  south  of  the  Mucury.  North  of  the  Recife 
do  hixG  are  some  small  reef-patches,  and  about  ten  miles 


212 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


northward,  a  little  to  tlic  west,  is  a  very  dangerous  roef- 
ground  some  three  miles  long,  and  one  and  a  half  to  two 
miles  wide,  called  the  Tinil)el)as, between  which  and  the  net's 
to  the  sonth  is  a  wide  open  chainiel  called  the  Itaiiliacin. 
Tills,  as  Monehez  says  in  his  chart,  is  the  most  dreaded  of 
all  the  reefs,  hecanse  it  is  nitnated  jnst  beyond  the  limit  of 
visibility  of  the  coast,  and  there  is  nothing  to  mark  its  po- 
sition, so  that  oven  the  ])ilots  of  the  coast  keep  well  awav 
from  it.     I  once  passed  close  to  it  in  the  steamer  Santa 
Crnz,  and  saw   the   waves  l)eating   over   it.      Small  coral 
patches  occur  close  in  shore  along  the  coast  northward  as 
far  as  to  Point  Carumba,  just  otT  which  is  a  reef-groiiiiil 
eight  miles  long  and  three  to  five  miles  wide,     ^hxicln/ 
says  that  the  reef  is  uncovered  at  low  tide   in  the  western 
4)art,  and  that  the  rest  of  the  ground  is  covered  liy  clia|»'i- 
roes.      These   reefs    aie  the   celel)rated  Itacolumis.     Tlic 
next  important  reef-ground  stretches  across  the  month  of 
the  Bay  of  Porto  Seguro.     I  found  the  reef  uncovered  over 
an  area  as  far  as  I  could  see  no  'th  and  south  while  standing 
on  the  reef,  with  a  width  in  some  places  of  a  mile ;  Imt  ir 
was  exceedingly  difhcult  to  judge  of  distance  on  so  ])lnnc  and 
monotonous  a  siu'face.  This  reef  is  surrounded  by  chapcuMcs. 
The  same  line  of  reefs  extends  northward,  passes  the  low 
point  north  of  Porto  Seguro,  leaving  a  decj)  chann<'l.  allow- 
ing tlie  passage  of  steamers,  and  is  continued  across  \h'  liay 
of  Santa  Cruz,  as  is  represented  in  the  sketch-niiipon  p  -•!■!. 
In  the  summer  I  passed  close  to  tlie  northern  part  of  the 
reef  otT  Santa  Cruz.     It  has,  like  the  other  principal  reefs, 
finished  its  growth,  and  is  in  part  converted  into  an  island, 
on  which  I  observed  a  few  mangrove-trees  growing.     A 
schooner  hud  struck  on  the  outer  .side  of  this  reef,  and  liai! 
afterwards  been  carried  over  and  sunk  erect,  just  bcdiiud  the 


THE  ISLANDS   AND   CORAL   IIEEFS   OF   THE   ABROLUOS.      213 


rocf.  Its  masts  -were  standing:,  sliowintr  a  dt'jttli  alongside 
of  the  rcoi'  of  aljoiit  thirty  feet.  Reef  patclies  (x'cm-  along 
the  shore  in  the  vicinity  of  Camanu'i.  Quiei)i)e  Island  is 
surrounded  by  them  on  all  sides,  and  a  little  liay  between 
Ciunaniu  and  I>oya[)eba  is  full  of  cbapeirocs,  while  the  en- 
trance to  Jie  Barra  Carvalhos,  according  to  the  ••  South 
American  Coast  Pilot,"  is  similarly  encumbere(l.  Along 
tlic  shores  of  Itaparica  Island  there  are  extensive  coral- 
hanks,  from  which  coral  is  taken  for  the  jturpose  of  lieing 
liurued  into  lime  ;  and  at  low  title  coral  is  largely  colleeted 
from  Iiaidvs  lying  ofT  Periperi,  on  the  JJahia  Riiiii'oad,  to 
■wliicli  place  it  is  brought  and  burned.  1  saw  Inrge  .,uanti- 
tics  of  it  at  liahia  and  Periperi'.  The  corals  were  of  ilie  same 
siiccies  as  are  common  on  the  Abrolhos  i-eefs,  but  IlrliusfrfCi 
was  more  connnon.  Limestone  is  very  scarce  on  the  Bra- 
zilian coast,  ami  corals  are  largely  used  for  inaking  lime. 
They  call  the  coral  pcdra  dc  cal*  in  Hra/il,  for  this  reason. 
Still  going  northward,  1  am  not  aware  that  any  coral- 
patches  are  to  be  found  until  we  reat.'h  Maceio,  l)ut  in  the 
harlior  of  this  town  1  cxaminei]  (juite  an  extensive  one,  which 
ii;'s  some  distance,  perhajjs  a  mile,  off  the  town,  and  at  low 
tide  is  unct)\ere(l  ft)r  a  large  irregular  space.  Its  surlace  is 
tlat,  hut  irregular,  composed  of  dead  corals,  and  is  full  of 
holes.  Walking  out  to  the  edge  of  the  reef,  wliei'e  the  sea 
^v;is  breaking  heavily,  I  fomid  it  exceedingly  rouiih.  I  was 
uiui':lc  to  see  much,  as  .ne  tide  rose  rapidly,  liowing  over 
the  reef,  and  1  had  U)  wade  back  half  a  mile  over  the 
ruugh  siu'facc  to  my  boat.  I  saw  very  few  live  corals  in 
the  ponds. f     There  were  a  very  few  little  Sidcrastrafc,  and 

*  It  woiilil  not  be  worth  statin;;  here  that  the  red  coral  does  not  (icciir  du  the 
Brazilian  coast,  il'  it  were  not  tliat  from  my  use  of  the  term  rwi!  tht;  report  hud 
been  circnhited  tliiit  I  had  (Hseovered  a  reef  of  red  coral  at  the  Ahrolhos  i 

t  i'rut'essor  Aj^'assiz  tells  me  that  he  has  fine  niH'eix  res  from  Maceii). 


214 


GKOLOGV   AND   I'lIYSICAL   GKOGRArilY 


ail  occasioiiiil  dwai-fed  Aaint/iasfrf/;n.  Erhinomctrrr  wow, 
abuiidiuit,  and  Kiiu'lisli  sailors  \v('r(3  spearing'  the  Lu'/c 
A})lijsi(C  for  the  sake  of  spilling  tii<'ii"  purple  ink.  in  ilic 
liands  of  a  sailor  1  saw  a  l)cantilul  Volula  likt;  V,  tiiusini^ 
anil  1  C(jlleeted  a  specimen  of  Liiicltid  onnlhopus.  M/ 
boat  man  said  that  on  the  outer  edge  ol"  tlu;  reef  lar.:i' 
coral-heatls  grew,  and  that  these  were  collected  and  brought 
on  shore  I'or  burning  into  lime. 

From  the  lighthouse  at  Maceio  the  reefs  could  be  seen 
extending  in  an  irregular  line  along  the  shore  noi'thwani 
many  miles.  In  the  vicinity  of  Pernambuco  are  patches  (>!' 
growing  coral,  as  Dana  has  renuirked.  1  have  specimens 
from  these  patches,  Ijut  I  was  })revented  from  visiting  tlieui. 
I  know  of  no  one  who  has  cxamine<l  the  reefs  north  of  IVr- 
nanibuco  with  a  view  to  scienlilic  results. 

The  llorcas  are  a  very  dangerous  cluster  of  reefs  in  dii' 
latitude  of  Fernando  de  Noronha,  noted  for  its  anmilnr 
shape.  From  the  charts  of  tlu'  Roi'cas,  together  with  what 
1  have  learned  from  those  who  have  visited  them,  thi  y 
must  be  true  coral  reefs. 

Thouuh  there  is  a  general  resemblance  between  the  l>:;ixil- 
ian  and  West-Indian  polyj)  (aumu  in  the  representative  spe- 
cies  of  l-^iilrras/rfra,  Ftiria,  Porift's,  P/rxanrefla,  S:c.,  Ac.  y<'\ 
one  who  has  collected  in  the  West  Indies,  as  at  St.  Tliuiiins, 
for  instance,  ny  Florida,  is  much  struck  with  the  abseme 
of  3I(i<lrr/)()r(i,  MtcdiidriiKi ,  Di/i/orui,  Maniciiid,  ('Idi/oiorii. 
Ociilind,  and  other  genera  characteristic  of  the  West-lii'lian 
fauna.  The  Brazilian  reefs  are  l)uilt  uj)  by  a  very  few  sjic- 
cies,  among  which  Acdulhaslrcca  BrrizifirHsis  ajjin'ars  Id  hi' 
the  most  connnon,  together  with  Si//rras/rfC(C  and  (»thi'i 
massive  forms  ;  but  the  Mil/rj/orfC  and  diusscc  nuist  con- 
tribute more  or  less  to  their  arowth. 


PROVINCE   OF   BAHIA. 


215 


CITAPTER    V. 

rr.ovnsCE  of  baiiia.  —  coast  south  of  sao  Salvador. 

Tlie  TiTtiary  Latuis  iK'twuen  the  Uivors  Munirv  and  IVniliyjic  ;  tlicir  Vi'gcta- 
tioii,  i!ic.  —  Coloiiia  Leo])ol(liiia  ami  its  CotVw  I'laiitatioiiv  —  Villa  \'i.;i)si.  — 
The  CaiKil  jiiiiiin;,'  the  Hivtrs  IVrulivja'  ami  ('aravclla>.  —  l"(iniiati(m  of 
Biaclu's  and  Boiifh  Hid^'i's,  —  ( 'oast  iR'twoeii  ( 'aravellas and  I'urto  Sc^'uro.  — 
M,iim^.l>a.sfual.  —  I'uiiu  Scj^iin;  and  its  A'dv/i,  or  Consolidatod  IJcaili.  —  Santa 
(  ;u/.  and  its  Ucct'. — C'ua>t  iioi-tiiward  to  the  Jc(|nitinh()iiha  ,  the  La^^oa  do 
liiaii),  Canijios,  6i<'.  —The  Canal  I'o-assii  au<l  the  Kioda  Sal>a.  —  Man;;rove 
Suanips  liL'twc'iii  thi.'  ■It'iiuitinhoidui  and  I'ardo.  —  C'annavit'iras.  —  The  Salt 
Trade  of  the  Jetiuitiiihonha.  —  Descrijition  of  the  lower  I'art  of  the  Rio 
I'anlo;  Caeii'o  riantations,  ^^e.  —  Coast  northward  to  Ilhens.  —  I'riiue  Neil 
\\"\vd'>  De-eription  of  the  Country  lietweni  Uhcos  aii<l  Con(iiiista,  ros>r)cs, 
and  Caihoeira  ;  the  Forests,  Cam]K)S,  Social  Tlants,  ^^e.  —  Uheos.  —  Uioand 
Lii-na  Itahy]ie.  —  I)ea<l  Coral  Hanks. —  Uio  dasConta-.—  I5ay  ofCanianiii. 
—  Turfa  l)e]K)sits.  — Villa  de  Cainainii.  —  Coast  mirihward  ti>  the  Hahia 
(Ir  'i'odos  or  Santos.  —  The  Hay  of  All  Saints  deseriticd.  —  llha  Itapariea.  — 
i;i()  Ja;.Miarii.e  and  Nazareth.  —  Uio  rara;:nassii,  —  Description  of  Hivcr 
IkIdw  Cachoeira.  —  The  Truin-roud  — Sant'  Amaro  and  the  Ayrieultural 
lustitnte. 

Tin:  Tvio  Ponihypc  lias  its  source  in  llio  Sorra  dos 
AiiiKuvs,  a  rc\v  miles  north  of  Santa  Clara,  and  Hows  in 
:i  ilt'cp,  narrow  valley,  -worn  lor  the  ,iirea(er  part  ol"  the  dis- 
laiice  through  the  eoast  tertiary  l)elt.  It  is  not  more  than 
lil'ty  miles  in  length,  and  is  eonse(|nently  an  insiixnifieant 
stream.  IJetween  the  Pernhypc  and  tlic  Mneiuy  the  lands 
are  almost  wholly  tertiary,  though  hrtwecn  the  mouths  (.f 
llu'si'  two  rivers  there  is  a  strip  of  sand  and  marsh.  1  owe 
ti)  tiie  kindness  of  my  iViend  Sr.  Schlobaeh  a  prolile  of  a, 
ruilioiid  line  snrveye<l   liy  him  to  connect  the   Philadelphia 


210 


CiKOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAniY. 


lioad  at  Santa  Clara  with  the  Pcnihyj)e  uhovc  Villa  Vi((i>;i. 
which  prolilo  is  of  imu-h  interest,  since  it  shows  that  tlir 
surlin'c  of  the  tcrtiaiy  heds  slopes  very  ivj^'ulai'ly  iVom  ihr 
serra  to  the  sea, —  a  slojtc;  which  1  l)elicve  to  deijcnd  dn 
the  slojie  ol'  the  sea  hottoni  on  which  the  IhmIs  were  dc- 
jtositcd,  though  it  is,  in  part  at  least,  dne  to  a  thickcniii'i 
oi'  the  Iteds  towai'ds  the  sei'ra.  'IMie  count rv  hetweeii  die 
two  rivers  lornis  a  ^reat  wooded  plain  ;  hut  the  lui(  sts 
are  hy  no  means  so  luxuriant  in  their  appearance  as  on  tlic 


ao 


Matl 


leos  or 


I) 


oce 


Tl 


le  soil   IS  saiHlv,  weal 


and  ihv, 


though  on  the  slojies  of  river  valleys  it  is  ])roducti\i',  and 
the  hottoms  of  the  valleys  are  covered  hy  a  veiy  rank  growth. 
This  I'egion  is  ti'aversed  hy  many  little  streams,  !ill  of 
which  have  cut  for  themselves  deep  valleys  or  caTions  widi 
veiy  steep  sides.  The  njiland  forests  fui'nish  many  valiui- 
lilc  woods,  and  rosewood  is  extensively  cut  Ijoth  on  the 
PeruhyiJC  and  Mucury.  In  some  ])arts  the  forest  is  veiy 
sjtai'so  of  underhrush,  hid  in  others  it  is  so  matted  and  tan- 
gled with  l)and)Oos  {Tiujuaras)  and  young  Ahi  palms 
(Astrocari/nm  Airi  ]\rart.)  as  to  he  almost  impenetralilc. 
There  are  large  marshy  areas  on  this  plain,  and  these  snv 


-;(in. 


in  part  flooded,  some  of  them  only  during  the  rainy  sea 
when  they  f(jnu  shallow  lagoons.  '^IMie  vegetation  of  the  ;d- 
luvial  lands  hordering  the  little  streams  is  luxuriant  heyeiiil 
deserijition.  Here  one  finds  an  ahundancc  of  J^ahnilDs 
(Ei(frrj)C  ediilis  Mart.)  and  heautiful  tree-ferns.  The  iJoto- 
cudos  still  hold  the  country,  and  I  saw  their  deserted 
ranchos  eveiy  few  miles  along  the  path.  The  forest 
aboujuls  in  game.  Queixadas,  coititiis,  antas,  oneas.  mon- 
keys, and  l)irds  of  every  description  are  veiy  numerijus. 

Nowhere  on  the  route  did  1  see  any  good  exposure  of  tlio 
tertiarv  beds,  hut  in   the    descent    into   the    river  valleys 


rROVINCE   OF    BAIIIA. 


21' 


1  lepoiitcdly  saw  the  drift,  wliicli  licrc  as  clsewlicrc  is  coin- 
piiscd  uf  I'od  clay  luil  of  IVa^me'iils  of  (luai'tz.  All  the 
streams  arc  "  Uack-watcr,"  and  so  is  the  I'cruliyjio.*  On 
tliis  last  river  a  colony  of  Clcrinans,  togelher  with  sonic 
natives  of  other  countries,  was  cstal)lished  many  years  ap). 
It  is  called  Colonia  Leopoldina,  and  consists  of  a  considei'- 
alilc  nunilicr  of  fazendas  situated  on  hoth  sides  of  (he  river 
for  sevei'al  miles  above  Siio  .fosc,  the  head  of  na\iuatii)n  for 
steamers.  Some  of  these  fazendas  ai"e  veiy  lar^c  and  valu- 
a'lle,  as  that  of  the  late  Sr.  Joao  Flach  fur  instanee.  The 
ciiltivate(l  lands  are  situated  on  the  very  edges  and  slojies 
of  tiie  cha])a<las,  and  they  were  formerly  veiy  product ive.f 
Ciifrec  is  (he  staple  product,  and  is  noted  in  Ihazil  as  being 
of  very  superior  cpiality,  jjassing  by  the  name  of  ('afe  de 
("aravellas,  Tlu;  trees  are  not  allowed  to  grow  to  their  full 
liL'iLiht,  but  arc  trinnned  down,  so  that  the  picking  is  easily 
dniK!  liy  hand  from  the  ground.  Six  feet  or  thereabouts 
appears  to  be  the  average  height  of  the  coffee-trees  of 
this  region.  The  trees,  when  trinnned  in  this  way,  ai'e 
llut-toppcd  with  pendant  branches,  and  a  cafezal,  or  cotli-e 
lilantatiun,  at  the  colony  is  a  very  prcttv  sight.  Mandioea, 
maize,  cotton,  and  other  Brazilian  ))roducts  are  cidtivatecl 
largely,  and  one  riding  through  the  fazendas  sees  here  as 
elsewhere  the  orange,  banana,  lime,  citron,  ])ine-api)le.  c^'C. 
The  mamiio,  a  sjtecies  of  Carina,  furnishing  ;i  large  and 
savory  fiuit  full  of  seeds,  is  fre([nently  seen,  though  it  is  to 
he  (nund  almost  everywhere  along  the  coast,  growing  in 
ciiriiers  of  fields  and  gardens.     The  climate  of  the  colony 

*  Von  Tsdimli  says  (/.'mw,  v*ic.,  Vol.  II.  j).  ,'i.")7)  tliiit  tin-  water  of  rlie 
I\iiiliyiii.'  at  Villa  Vii.osa  is  (U'cp  brown,  anil  tluU,  churned  up  hy  the  piuUlk'- 
wlnils  of  a  steainiT,  it  looks  like  foamiii;;  porter. 

t  These  soils  heeoiuc  rapidly  exhausted,  uud  many  of  the  old  fazendas  are 
very  nearly  worn  out. 

VOL.    I.  10 


218 


GEOLOGY  AND  PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


is  very  unliealtliy,  especially  for  foreigners,  but  it  is  far 
superior  to  that  of  the  Mueury  below  Santa  Clara.  Tlic 
Peruliype  is  navitiable  as  I'ar  as  Sao  Josd  for  coasting 
steamers,  which,  however,  do  not  enter  the  river  at  its 
month,  Ijnt  by  means  of  a  natural  canal  which,  tluoui^h  a 
very  extensive  swampy  tract,  connects  the  Feruhy])e  with 
the  Caravellas  River.  The  bar  at  the  mouth  of  the  river 
is  very  l»ail,  and  is  rarely  crossed  l)y  any  excei)t  very  siuall 
vessels.  'I'he  entrance  at  Caravellas  is  g'ood.  Since  tin 
navigation  of  the  Mucury  is  so  difficult,  and  its  bar  so  hail. 
it  has  been  proposed  to  extend  the  !Minas  Road  aci'oss  the 
plains  to  the  J'eruhyj)e  below  the  colony,  and  ultimately 
make  it  a  lailroad.  The  only  difficulty  in  the  way  of  Imilil- 
ing-  such  a  road  would  be  that  of  bridging  the  deep  valleys 
of  the  streams,  which  would  re([uire  very  high  viadiicis  or 
bridges.  It  is  to  be  h()i)ed  that  this  project  will  one  day 
be  accomplished.  A'illa  A'ieosa,  a  town  of  some  live  hiimhcd 
or  one  thousaiul  inhabitants,  is  situated  on  the  right  hank 
of  the  Peruliype,  at  a  distance  of  about  four  miles  rnmi 
the  sea.  and  five  or  six  below  Sao  Jose  da  Colonia  Leo- 
poldina.  The  lands  of  the  vicinity  are  very  jn-oductive  in 
niandioca,  and  a  large  quantity  of  fiirinha  is  exported.* 
From  the  moulli  of  the  Peruliype  to  that  of  the  Caravellas 
the  shore  consists  of  a  long  sea-beach  broken  only  by  <»iio 
river-mouth, —  JJarra  Xova.  From  Villa  Vieosa  to  llio 
Axilla  de   Caravellas  a  rather  narrow  tidal  canal  extends 


*  'I'lio  w.'itiT  used  for  (li-iiikinpj  .at  A'illiV  "\'ii;osii  is  very  bail.  Von  T<rlr...ii 
says  thiit  it  is  coik'i'ti'il  in  siiallow  holes  sunk  in  ;i  saiuly  i:riis-un>wn  |i!;iin 
soutiiwust  of  tlie  town.  AA'lieii  first  ilrnwii  its  taste  is  very  (lisafircoalilo,  Init  it 
becotnes  potalile  niter  standiiijj;  a  day  or  two.  A.,  the  towns  alon;:  the  t":i-'. 
built  on  the  sands  of  tiie  sea  siiore,  as  a  fjencral  tliin;r  have  liail  water.  Tlii:5 
is  the  ease  at  Caravellas.  It  is  needle-^s  to  say  that  the  want  of  i)ure  water  U 
one  cause  of  tiie  [irevMlenee  of  sickness  in  these  places. 


PROVINCE   OF   r.AIIIA. 


219 


j)!ii:ilk'l  with  tlic  coast.  "W'cstwai'd  of  this,  as  Voii  Tselmdi 
has  leiuai'ked,  is  the  Irrra  Jinna,  —  tlie  tci-tiaiy  hiiids 
trending  off  iiortlnvard  at  a  creator  or  k-ss  distance  Irom 
the  (iiiud.  This  stream,  in  wliich  the  tide  ebbs  and  llcnvs, 
aiiil  whose  Avatei-s  arc  salt,  is  snlKieiently  deep  to  aUow  the 
[lassaiic  of  the  coast  steamers.  JJetween  the  canal  and 
IJH'  sea  the  lands,  which  are  bnt  little  aliove  the  water,  con- 
sist in  iiart  of  sandy  flats  covered  with  forest  or  cocoa-pahn 
gnives,  l)ut  the  greater  part  appeal's  to  lie  an  ininiense 
mangrove  swamp,  similai-  to  that  which  lies  l)et\vecn  the 
Jeiiiiitinhonha  and  Pardo  to  the  north,  and,  like  this  last, 
it  is  intersected  by  •.  network  of  narrow  canals,  which 
have  never  been  mapped.  fJerlier's  map  I'cprescnts  this 
aiva  as  a  chister  of  small  islands,  with  the  sea  penetrating 
fioni  the  coast  throngh  nunu'rons  canals,  which  jjrobably 
misled  \'on  Tschndi,  who  also  descrilics  it  as  an  archipehigo. 
Tlie  so-called  Rio  Caravellas  is  oidy  a  nai-row  est  nary,  which 
penetrates  into  the  intcrioi-  "  •  a  distance  of  abont  twelve 
miles.  From  this  cstnary  ncc  i  'lias  the  canal  extends 
sDuthwnrd  to  Vic^osa,  while  at  its  head  cm])ty  the  Rio  Cara- 
vellas and  the  Rio  da  Fabi'ica. 

The  water  olTthis  coast  is  very  shallow,  and  along  shore 
it  is  nsually  very  tiu'bid.  Onlsidc  are  the  veiy  extensive 
cnral-ltanks,  described  in  the  preceding  chaj)ter,  which  not 
only  liieak  th(>  force  of  the  ocean  waves,  Itnt  giv(^  lise  U)  a 
system  of  cnrrcnts  whoso  force  and  dii-ection  dcjicnd  almost 
entirely  on  the  winds.  Owing  to  the  protection  of  the  shores 
Irnni  such  ])owcrful  wave  action  as  obtains  almost  everywhere 
else  on  the  coast,  we  find  here  a  sloping  sand-beach,  rising 
to  hut  a  few  feet  above  high-water,  and  unaccompanied  by  a 
lieaeh-ridge.  The  water  along  the  coast  is  ordinarily  as 
smooth  and  calm  as  that  of  an  inhmd  lake.    Near  the  mouth. 


220 


GLOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GKOGRAPIIY, 


of  tlic  Caravollas  and  a  few  miles  to  llie  south  ward,  T  nl- 
scrvcd  ilead  mangroves  standing  in  clumps  in  tlio  water  just 
outside  tlu'  land.  A  short  distance  south  of  the  Mucuiy,  as 
already  remarked,  J  ol)served  tlead  trees  still  erect,  aiiil 
rooted  Itelow  high-watermark.  It  would  seem  that  there 
has  liecn,  within  a  I'vw  years,  a  slight  sinking  of  this  |(!ut 
of  the  coast.  The  mangrove  swanijjs  arc  sometimes  Innncd 
in  depressions  caused  l)y  the  wearing  away  of  the  hwwv 
lands  l>y  the  sea  ;  hut  this  is  very  rare.  Tluy  almost  nl- 
^vays  occupy  tracts  jjrotected  from  the  waves  ly  saiid-l)ea<li('s 
or  otherwise,  and  (died  uj)  .vuii  sand-hanks,  or  which,  liv 
the  gradual  rise  of  the  land,  have  heen  hrought  so  near  tlio 
surface  that  the  scedt.  of  the  mangrove  take  root.  1 1'  diic 
examines  the  sea  i)ottom  along  the  coast  he  will  (ind  that, 
especially  in  the  vicinity  (jf  large  rivers,  such  as  the  Sao 
Francisco,  Pardo,  Jeipntinhonha,  Doce,  Parahyba  do  Su!. 
and,  as  a  general  rule,  oif  Hat  lands  everywhere,  the  hottoin 
slopes  away  very  gradually,  and  consists  of  IkhIs  of  saiui. 
and  hut  I'arely  of  nuid,  hecausc  such  fine  material  is  ahimst 
invariably  swej)t  out  with  the  current  into  deep  water. 
A  beach  nmst  of  course  he  formed  within  the  limits  of 
wave  action.  If  these  corresjjond  with  the  edge  ot'  tlie 
land,  then  the  beach  will  skirt  it,  but  where,  as  is  freipimtly 
the  case,  the  water  is  so  shallow  that  the  waves  break  at  a 
distance  from  the  shore,  thei'e  will  shortly  he  formed,  along 
this  line,  a  ridge  of  sand,  which  will  gradually  increase  in 
height  until  at  last  it  will  apj)ear  above  water,  foiiniiig  a 
narrow  strip  parallel  to  the  shore.  This  may  become  so 
high  as  to  form  a  permanent  barrier,  enclosing  behind  it  a 
lagoon  of  shallow  water.  Sometimes  the  formation  o!'  these 
beaches  is  due  to  the  action  of  storms  of  extraordiiiaiy 
violence,  which  have  caused  the  waves  to  disturb  the  bottom 


PROVIXCi:   OF    r.AIIIA. 


221 


fartluM-  lliaii  usual  from  llic  slmro.  In  tlio  slow  riso  of  a 
ooast  Itorderiug  sliulluw  wiitor  tl.c  lim'  of  surf  aftiou  would 
lie  liTiK  hull  ly  rcniovod  froui  the  sIimt.  if  the  slope  of  the 
hottciii  is  uuiforni,  and  (here  arc  no  storms,  ilic  eirt'ct  may 
lic  lit  adil  slowly  to  the  coast  liy  a  constant  throwing  up  (d' 
siiiuls  liy  the  waves  ;  and  this  is  lirautil'nlly  illnstratcd  at 
tlic  mouth  of  the  Jcquitiuhonha  l»y  the  phiins  stretching 
suiithwai'd  from  IJeliiKJUtc.  'I'hese  plains  consist  ol"  a  ui'cat 
iiiiiiilK-r  of  parallel  beaches,  one  lying  in  front  (d"  tlu.'  other, 
and  ti'acealjle  for  miles;  l)ut  even  here  the  growth  of  the 
c'liast  has  not  been  uniform,  and  occasionally  an  increased 
vjiilciice  of  the  sni'f  has  thi'own  up  a  ritlge  a  lew  yai'ds  or 
|(m1s  outside  of  that  last  formed,  making  a  narrow  dilidi- 
likc  lagoon,  like  a  river,  running  parallel  with  the  shore. 
A  lagoon  of  this  kind  runs  behind  the  l)ea(di  ahjng  the 
jiicscnt  shore  line  like  a  strij)  (d'  insertion.  If  the  water  is 
very  shallow,  there  will  be  no  regular  beach  ridue,  but  there 
luay  lie  dunes  if  the  sand  is  light  enough  to  1)e  rais(Ml  by 
the  wind  ;  but  if  the  water  is  so  deep  that  the  whole  force 
of  tlic  waves  is  exjtcnded  on  the  shore  line,  Itreaking  in 
;i  single  line  of  surf,  then  we  uuxy  expect  to  find  a  high 
rilgc  acconi[)anying  the  beach,  —  a  ridge  which  has  owed 
\*s  oriuin  primarilv,  it  mav  be.  to  some  verv  Ik^ivv  storm, 
and  secondarily  to  the  joint  action  of  the  winds  and  waves 
in  piling  up  the  sand.  This  is  Iteautifully  seen  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Jeiiuitinhonha.  At  I>elmonte  the  sea  is  ex- 
ceedingly shallow,  consequently  the  shore  is  low  and  with- 
out a  ridge.  Going  southward  the  water  deepens,  the  surf 
i.s  heavier,  and  a  well-defined  ridge  begins,  growing  higher 
ami  liigher  the  farther  south  we  go. 

Along  the  coast  of  Long  Island,  and  of  the  ]\Iiddlc  and 
Sunthern  Atlantic  States,  we  have    these  phenomena  well 


000 


CKOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GFOGRAPIIY. 


cxhiliitcd.     "Wlion  botwoon  the  rivers  tlic  shore  is  flat,  siii  !i 
a   lic.ich   may  extend    from  the   mouth    of  one    to   that   i<\' 
the   other,  while  the  hi^iooii  hehind   may  form  ii  connuiiiii- 
catioii   like  a  eanal   hetweeii  the  two,  or  the  mouths  of  ilir 
two  I'ivcrs  may  Ite  united  l»y  a  more  or  less  wide  strip  df 
mai'sh  and  lagoon.      These  lagoons  an;  lial)le  to  he  rdlcil  nj, 
hy  sand  and  silt  eari'ie<l  down  hy  streams  Ihnn  the  higlirr 
grounds.     "When  the  liottom  is  hiought  np  to  the  level  df 
low  tide,  or  a  little  ahove,  the  seeds  of  the  mangrove  take 
root,  anil  the  shoal  soon  hceomes  covered  with  vegetati(.ii. 
Among  the  roots  of  the  mangroves  the  silt  of  the  wnii'iis 
deposited,  and  the  sand-hank  is  overspread  hy  a  hnci'  n\' 
soft  mud,  which  may  increase  in  thickness  until  tjie  Lank 
is  covered  only  at  high   watei-.     The  mangrove  in   lliazil, 
Florida,  and  elsewhei-e  is  a  \ei'V  elheient  agent  in  the  lilt- 
ing up  of  marsh  lands  and  swanijis  ;  Imt  it  is  not  alone  in 
this  work.      It  flourishes  oidy  in  salt  or  hraekish  water.  Imt 
after  a   time  nmcli  of  this  swamp  land   becomes  covered 
with  fresh  water,  Avhen  arborescent  arums,  reeds,  rutins. 
coarse  grasses,  and  other  acpiatic  plants  tend  all  the  ineic 
to  choke  nj)  and  stagnate  the  water,  and  often  form  rafts  nt 
vegetation,  on  which  small  trees  grow,  as  is  the  case  in  the 
fresh-water  lakes  and  lagoons  of  the  vicinity  of  JJai'ia  Serca 
and  the  rivers  Sao  Matheos  and  Docc. 

On  the  coast  north  of  Rio  the  course  of  the  rivers  is  at 
right  angles  with  the  coast.  At  the  mouth  of  wvy  iiuuiv 
of  them  a  branch  runs  ofT  bo'h  north  and  south,  parallel 
"with  and  close  to  the  shore,  and  in  some  cases  nniting  wiili 
a  similar  l)ranch  from  a  neighl)oring  river,  though  usually  an 
impassaljle  swamp  prevents  a  complete  communication,  h. 
some  cases  these  are  only  lagoons  fed  by  the  tide  and  rains; 
but  occasionally  it   is  a   little   river,  which,  having  come 


PROVINCK   OF   BAIirA. 


223 


(Inwii  to  llic  slioro,  is  oIiU^imI  to  flow  for  sovonil  milos  lic- 
hiiid  llic  liciu'li  I'idfio  Iteloi'o  it  can  lind  nii  exit  lo  the  sea  in 
ili(  uKiiith  ol'ii  lur«^(n'  imvlm-.  An  ('.\iun)tle  of  this  kind  is  the 
Itjilu'inas,  already  dt'scrilicd.  All  the  rivers  (lowinjj;  IVoni  the 
jiiiciior  arc  white-water  rivers,  hnt  the  Itahunas,  jtrohalily 
IiiivIhl;'  ils  sonree  in  the  swanijis  <il'  tl.c  eha|)adas  east  ol'the 
sciias,  is  a  lilacU-water  river.  So  also  is  llie  Mai'irieu,  and  so, 
ill  liciieral,  are  all  the  little  rivei's  which  I'ise  either  in  the 
I'll  sli-wiiler  swanij)S  alon<^  the  shore  or  eonie  IVoin  ihc  cha- 
]i;i(las  eastward  of  the  seri'as.  Advantaji'e  has  iieen  taken, 
ill  iiiiiiM'ioiis  instances,  of  the  sti-eanis  and  hejfoons  of  the 
liiw  lands  to  cnt  caiuil.s  nnitin,^'  settlements  lyinij;  on  two 
livers;  and  a  favorite  project  with  some  Brazilian  states- 
iiicu  has  heen  that  of  ojjeninj^  a  line  of  canals,  extendinj^ 
iildiit^  the  coast  from  Santa  Crnz,  in  the  ]»rovinee  iA'  Es|»ii-ito 
Santo,  northward  to  Caravellas.  1  consider  the  jiroject  as 
iiiipracticalile,  and  that  good  roads  over  the  plains  uf  the 
cliapadas  would,  in  most  cases,  he  far  preferable. 

Tlic  town  of  Caravellas  is  of  small  size.  It  owes  its  im- 
portance to  its  heing  the  port  of  the  snrronndin<i-  country, 
and  to  its  whale-fishery,  described  in  the  last  chajiter.  The 
town  is  built  on  a  sand-bank  a  few  miles  above  the  mouth 
of  the  river,  and  on  the  northern  side.  In  the  vicinity  are 
large  groves  of  cocoa-palms. 

Contrary  to  the  general  rule,  the  river  Caravellas  just  be- 
fore reaching  the  coast  makes  a  bend  to  the  northward,  and 
enters  llic  sea  very  obliquely.  The  channel,  narrow  and 
marked  by  poles  continues  for  several  miles  northeastward 
beyond  the  Ponta  da  Balea.  There  is  another  narrow  chan- 
nel running  eastward,  and  still  another  southward,  which 
lust  douljles  sharply  round  the  point  on  the  southern  side 
of  the  river.  Between  these  channels  are  large  sand-banks, 
which  are,  in  some  cases,  visible  even  at  high  water. 


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224 


GEOLOGY  AND  PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


The  northward  l)Ciid  of  the  river  at  its  moutli  seems  to  l)o 
owing  to  the  prevalence  of  a  nortliward-setting  current. 
The  variation  of  the  current  through  the  tides  is  most  jdoU- 
ably  the  cause  of  the  existence  of  tlie  other  two  channels. 
Off  this  coast  lie  the  coral  reefs  of  the  Parcel  das  Purijdes 
and  the  islands  of  the  Abrulhos,  already  described. 

The  shore  northwai'd  to  Prado  is  low  and  flat,  a  loii"' 
monotonous  sand-beach,  which  is  broken  Ijy  the  Barra  Vellia, 
the  mouth  of  an  inconsiderable  stream,  and,  at  a  distance 
of  about  nine  miles  north  of  the  Ponta  da  Balea,  liy  tlie 
Barra  do  Rio  Itanhaem,*  which  is  a  small  river  like  the 
Peruhyi)e,  arising  in  the  Serra  dos  Aymords.  At  its  mouth 
this  river  bends  abruptly  southward,  and  flows  for  at  least 
a  couple  of  miles  almost  parallel  with  the  sea-coast  ])eforc 
it  escapes  into  the  ocean.  According  to  Prince  Xeu-Wifl 
nianati  have  been  captured  in  this  river.  Alcoba(;a,  a  small 
town  of  very  little  importance,  is  situated  on  the  seaside 
between  the  river  and  the  beach.  Prince  Ncu-Wied  snys 
that  the  country  aljout  Alcoba(,'a  is  healthy,  but  that  tlio 
climate  is  unpleasant  from  the  frequency  of  strong  winds 
and  storms. 

Twelve  miles  farther  north,  tlie  Rio  Jucurucvi  empties 
into  the  sea.  This  stream  is  formed  by  the  union  of  the 
tAvo  branches  called  respectively  the  Bra(;o  do  Xorte  and 
Bra^o  do  Sul,  which  take  their  origin  in  the  Cordilheira 
dos  Aymor(:5s.  This  river,  like  the  Itanhaem,  on  reaching 
the  coast  is  obliged  to  flow  southward  for  two  or  three 
miles,  behind  a  beach  ridge,  before  escaping  into  the  scti. 


*  Acrordinc;  to  T/r.  Jose  Candiilo  (\i\  Costa,  in  liis  ptimphlct  entitled  "A 
Comarea  dc  Caravellas,"  a  copy  of  which  I  owe  to  the  kindness  of  Sr.  1,1.  imi 
Lessa,  the  Itanhaem  is  narrower  and  shallower  than  the  Peruhjpe.  Near  \t> 
month  it  forms  a  little  basin.     It  is  subject  to  freshets. 


PROVINCE   OF   DAIIIA. 


225 


Tlic  Itar  of  the  river  allows  tlic  entrance  of  schooners  and 
suuill  vessels,  and  the  river  is  said  to  be  navigaljle  for 
small  vessels  {sumacus)  for  a  distance  of  some  six  leairnes. 
The  valley  of  this  stream  is  rich  in  hmi))er,  and  in  iH.'u, 
accordiiisr  to  Da  Costa,  almost  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  diu- 
nicipio  of  Prado  were  occupied  in  cutting  it.  The  town  of 
Prado,  another  unimportant  i)lace,  is  built  l)etween  the  river 
and  the  sea  on  the  left  bank.  A  few  miles  north  of  the 
Prado  the  tertiary  bluffs,  which  from  the  Peruhype  have 
skirted  the  coast  at  a  greater  or  less  distance  in  the  interior, 
come  down  to  the  sea,  and  thence  to  Porto  i^eguro  form 
a  Iniiir  stretch  of  picturesque  perpendicular  red  cliffs,  alter- 
nating with  steep  slopes  covered  Avith  verdure,  and  occa- 
sional patches  of  sands  or  swamj)y  ground. 

From  the  sea  the  horizontal  bright  red  and  white  Ijands 
of  clays  are  distinctly  seen.  Near  Porto  Seguro,  as  well 
as  elsewhere,  I  observed  that  the  valleys  of  the  rivers  enter- 
ing the  sea  did  not  have  angular  sloping  sides,  but  their 
profde   as  seen  in  a  clilT  was  as  in  the  following  sketch, 


which  is  a  kind  of  topography  that  wc  should  expect  to  see 
ill  a  glaciated  surface.  The  blutTs  would,  I  should  judge, 
average  two  hundred  feet  in  height. 

About  forty  miles  north  of  Caravellas,  and  a  few  miles 
inland,  is  the  beautiful  group  of  hills  noted  as  being  the 
fu'st  land  of  America  seen  by  Cabral.     The  most  conspicu- 
10*  o 


22G 


GEOLOGY   AND   I'lIYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


ous  of  these  liill.s  is  an  iiTcgnlar  conical  peak  wliicli  licars 
tlie  nanu!  of  ^fonte  Pascoal.*  ^louclicz  sets  the  hill  down 
on  his  map  as  f)oC)  metres  in  height,  hnt  I  slionld  judge  that 
it  was  nnich  higlier.  Tliese  hills  are  undcnibtcdly  gneiss, 
hnt  they  lie  far  l)ack  in  the  virgin  forest,  in  tlie  as  yet  un- 
explored home  of  the  savage  liotocudo.  The  ap[)earance 
of  the  group  as  seen  from  the  sea  is  represented  in  llic 
following  Avoodcut.  Along  this  coast  several  small  I'lvors 
rising  in  the  Serra  dos  Aymores  empty  into  the  sea,l)ut  tlioy 
are  of  very  little  importance,  and  arc  usually  incorrectly 
laid  down  on  maps. 


MONTE   PASCOAL  FROM   THE   SEA. 


*  Jlonte  Pascoal  was  the  first  point  seen  wlicn  Cahral  discovered  Brazil,  on 
the  21st  of  Ai)rii,  A.  1).  15(H).  Todio  Vaz  dc  Caniiulia,  one  of  tlio  eonijuiiiicjiK 
of  Cahral,  h.is  described  the  events  connected  with  the  discovery  in  a  letter  writ- 
ten on  the  1st  of  May,  IJOO.  This  writer  sjjcaks  of  the  mountain  as  very  IultIi  and 
roumi,  with  other  serras  to  the  south,  together  with  fiat  land  covered  with  larL'o 
trees.  "  E  neste  dia  a  oras  de  vespora  ouvcnms  vista  de  terra,  a  sahev :  priinei- 
raniente  dc  huuni  granule  monte,  mny  alto  c  rcdondo,  c  doutras  serras  niais 
haixas  alio  Siil  dele,  c  dc  terra  chaa  com  grannies  arvorcdos  ;  aho  quaal  mmifo 
alto  ho  Capitain  i)OS  nome  ho  Monte  Pascoal,  c  aa  terra  ha  Terra  da  Vera 
Cruz." —  Comi/mjia  Brazilica,  Tome  I.  p.  1.'?.  A  French  translation  of  ilii? 
letter  is  to  he  found  in  the  Art  do  Vii-ljhr  Ics  Dates,  Tome  XIII.  \).  441.  The 
origimil,  which  is  of  great  interest,  is  preserved  in  the  government  archives  at 
Rio.  Caz;>l  says,  s])caking  of  the  Scrra  dos  Aymores  :  "  Cuja  ])or';,lo  mais 
aha  he  o  ]\Ionte  de  Joam  de  Liam  [Joao  de  Leao]  e  mais  fdra  o  Montr  Pn.-rodl 
que  se  avista  de  miutas  lc(pias  ao  mar."  This  Jouo  de  LciXo  is  a  notctl  land- 
mark, lint  I  c.  n  give  no  idea  of  its  height. 


PROVINCE   OF   BAHIA. 


227 


111  front  or  to  the  cast  of  Moutc  Pascoal  lies  the  groat  recf- 
giDiiiKl  of  the  Jtacohiniis.  This  is  separated  from  a  knv 
jii'njccting  sandy  point  called  Ponta  Corumha  l»y  a  very  nar- 
row hnt  deep  channel.  A  few  miles  north  of  this  {)oint 
is  llie  llio  Craminuan  or  Caxoeira,  which  is  noteworthy 
fniiu  the  fact  that,  contrary  to  tlic  general  rnle,  on  reach- 
ing the  coast,  instead  of  innnediately  entering  the  sea,  it 
flows  northward  nearly  a  mile  close  to  the  sea,  bnt  sepa- 
rat('(i  from  it  hy  a  sand-l)ank,  showing  that  the  wash  of  the 
coast  sands  is  hero  northward  instead  of  sonthward,  —  a  fact 
(lei Tmined  ])y  the  reefs  lying  off  the  shore.  North  of  the 
Craminuan  arethcRios  Joassema,  Frade,*  and  Taijje.  The 
village  of  Trancozo  is  situated  on  the  coast  a  i'vw  miles 
south  of  Porto  kSegnro,  but  it  is  of  no  importance  what- 
ever. 

At  Porto  Scirnro  enters  the  Buranhacm  River,  a  stream  of 
iiioilcrate  dimensions,  Avhich,  according  to  the  maps,  rises 
to  the  southwest  in  the  province  of  Minas,  a  few  miles  from 
the  li(jundary  line.  Oerbcr  represents  this  as  a  consideralile 
stream  flowing  throuirh  a  lartre  lake  called  Gravatu,  distant 
some  thirty  miles  from  the  sea,  and  c(unmimicating  with  an- 
other considerable  lake  altout  half-way  between  this  and  the 
sea.  At  Porto  Seguro  I  was  informed  that  this  was  all  very 
incorrect ;  l)ut  since  I  have  never  ascended  the  i-iver,  I  can- 
not speak  authoritatively.    The  stream  is  a  ])lack-water  one, 

*  In  sijoiikiiij;^  of  the  coast  between  Pnulo  and  Rio  <lo  Frade,  Max.  zii  Xeu 
^^i^■li  says:  "  Als  ieh  im  Xovcrnber  dieses  Jaiires  noeli  einnial  diesc  Reij-e 
muchtf,  faiid  ich  bei  starker  Ebbc  wcitc  Biinke  von  Sand-  und  Kalk-Felscn, 
(be  Mill  tief  in  die  See  hinans  crstreeken,  und  wolil  frrossentbeiis  dureii  Corallcn- 
Ihi'iv  m'liildet  worden  sind.  Ibre  Oberflilehe  ist  in  re;reiinassij;e  parallele  liisse 
fritht  lit ;  in  ilcn  vom  Wasscr  darin  ausjrewasciienen  I>">ehcrn  leben  Krabl)en  und 
ariili re  S;e-Tliiere ;  die  OI)erflaelie  dieser  Felsbilnke  iiberziebt  zuni  Tiieil  eine 
piiiu'  Hyssus-arti^'c  Masse."  — I'nnz  Max.  zu  Neu-Wied,  Juise  nwh  Brasilicn, 
Krstcr  Band,  297"  Seite. 


228 


GEOLOGY   AXD   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


and  flows  in  a  deep  narrow  valley  cut  in  llic  tertiary  licds. 
The  flat  lands  bordering  it  are  said  to  Ijc  fertile,  and  laviii'- 
ably  situated  for  agricultural  jjui-poses.*  The  forests  mv 
rich  in  valuable  woods,  Pao  Brazil,  Jacaranda,  <tc.  Poito 
Seguro  is  quite  a  large  and  conunercial  town,  situated  on 
the  left  bank  by  the  seaside.  It  really  consists  of  two 
towns,  one  built  by  the  river  and  seaside  on  a  broad,  flat. 
sandy,  and  marshy  tract,  and  part  on  the  top  of  the  bliil'l'  on 
the  northern  side  of  the  valley.  The  lower  town  h  tlic 
])usiness  portion  ;  the  upper  contains  the  ruins  of  ancient 
chuiches,  monasteries,  <tc.  Porto  Seguro  is  noted  as  tlio 
head-quarters  of  the  garoupa  fishery  of  the  Aljrolhos.  It 
has  an  excellent  harbor,  protected  in  front  by  the  coral  reef?, 
which  break  the  force  of  the  Atlantic  waves,  and  by  a  reef 
lilvc  that  of  Pernambuco,  consisthig  of  a  solidified  beadi. 
This  last  begins  close  to  the  shore  a  short  distance  nortli  of 
the  mouth  of  the  river,  runs  like  a  wall  of  rock  in  front  of 
the  river,  passing  close  to  the  point  on  the  southern  side, 
and  continues  on  to  the  southward  with  occasional  brealcs 
for  a  distance  of  several  miles.  Its  course  is  remarlvalily 
straight,  and  its  height  and  width  are  very  regular.  It 
forms  a  more  efficient  breakwater  to  the  harbor  than  the 
reef  at  Pernambuco  does ;  but  this  is  owing  partially  to  tlie 
fact  that  the  sea  is  l)roken  l)y  the  outside  coral  reef  whieli 
stretches  across  the  mouth  of  the  bay  of  Porto  Seguro. 
The  river  escapes  around  the  northern  end  of  the  reef.  On 
the  inner  side  it  is  overhanging,  on  the  outer  ])erpendicalur 
and  much  undermined,  as  represented  in  the  woodcnt. 
As  elsewhere  its  surface  is  diversified  by  ponds,  in  wliieli 
several  S))ecies  of  corals  grow.  The  northern  end  of 
the  reef   is  much  shattered,  cracked   up,  and   dislocated, 

*  Limllcy  says  that  gold  was  found  on  one  of  the  branches  of  this  rivor. 


PROVINCK   OF   BAIIIA. 


'22[) 


JUghWater 


SECTION   ACliOSS    STONIC    liKKl'   AT   I'OUTO    SECil'ItO. 

and  it  shows  tluit  the  cementing  of  the  heacli-sands  lias 
taken  jihu'C  to  a  dej)th  of  many  feet  l)eh)w  hjw-wutiT  h'vcl. 
Tx'vond  the  reef,  the  rock  8h)})es  ont  with  a  smooth,  rather 
even  surface  to  a  considerable  distance,  and  I  have  waded  <»ut 
on  it  in  some  phaccs  a  hnndred  feet  or  more.  Its  limits  I 
^vas  not  alile  to  determine,  owing  to  the  surf.  On  the  out- 
siil(>  tlie  reef  below  low-water  mark  is  covered  witli  a  growth 
of  corals.  Stony  corals,  H/jmenog-nrg-iff,  Eioiin'cr,  and  the 
I'DiniuDU  polyi)s  of  the  Abrolhos,  are  very  abundant  here. 
I  found  a  single  specimen  of  Mxssa  Hartlii  in  a  deep  in- 
dentation at  the  northern  extremity  of  the  reef. 

As  at  Pernambuco,  Bahia,  Barra  Secca,  and  elsewhere, 
the  rock  is  obliipiely  laminated,  as  in  a  sand-beach,  the 
laiaiua  dipping  seawards  at  a  small  angle.  It  is  composeil 
of  rather  fine  sand,  with  occasional  small  pebbles,  comj)aetly 
held  together  l)y  a  calcareous  cement.  It  contains  an  abun- 
dance of  recent  shells,  Yenus,  Cerithiuni,  Chama,  <tc.,  <fcc., 
sucli  as  now  live  on  the  sea-beaches  of  the  vicinity.  On  tlie 
insid(>  the  reef-rock  is  of  little  thickness,  and  tlie  reef  is 
flanked  by  a  sloping  hank  of  mud,  on  which  a  few  man- 
grov(>s  luivc  taken  root.  Oysters  grow  here  on  the  rocks 
and  mangroves,  and  a  large  si)ecies  of  Liltorina  is  very 
common,  being  found  even  in  the  trees  at  a  height  of  four 
or  five  feet  al)ovc  tlie  level  of  high  water.  This  same 
species  occurs  elsewhere,  and  I  have  observed  it  in  great 


230 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GKOGRAPIIY. 


alniiidaiico  liiglicr  than  I  could  rcadi  in  the  mangroves  at 
Santa  Cruz,  a  lew  miles  north  of  Port  Seguro.  CruistacoaiLs 
arc  abundant  on  the  reef. 

Little  fiddlers  (  Cic/asimus  palustris  Edwards)^'  arc  ^ oiy 
connnon  on  the  sandy  Ijeaches  in  some  localities,  horinir 
holes  in  the  sand.  There  are  larger  species  of  the  same 
genus  (^Gclasimus  Maracuani  Latreillc)  with  a  nut-hrown 
body,  and  one  of  the  hands  enormously  developed,  looking 
like  a  pair  of  broad-l)ladcd  shears. f 

On  the  shore  of  the  point  on  the  southern  side  of  tlic 
mouth  of  the  river  is  a  small  patch  of  beach,  which  is  oiilv 
partially  consolidated.  This  is  separated  from  the  reef  hv 
a  narrow  channel  almost  laid  dry  at  low  water.  Outside 
the  main  reef,  and  opposite  this,  there  arc  the  reniaius 
of  probably  an  older  reef,  which  has  elsewhere  been  almost 
entirely  ol)literatcd.  Southward  of  the  river  the  channel 
soon  widens  into  quite  a  broad  sheet  of  water,  and  the  reef 
is  left  running  at  a  distance  of  several  hundred  feet  from 
the  shore.  The  water  inside  the  reef  is  shallow,  and  at 
low  water  one  may  Avade  about  over  a  large  part  of  the 
area  and  collect.  The  ])ottom  is  sainly,  but  on  it  grows 
an  irregular  crust,  comjjosed  of  millepores,  corals,  bryozuans, 
ifec,  Avhich  forms  the  nestling-place  for  holothurians,  ophiu- 
rans,  crustaceans,  and  a  thousand  interesting  animals.  A 
large  naked  mollusk,  ]n'obal)ly  Aphjsia  Arg'O  D'Orl),  is  veiy 
common  here,  and  I  have  collected  a  dozen  specimens  in  the 
same  little  pool.    Inside  the  reef  the  water  is  deep  enough  to 

*  Tliis  species  bears,  in  every  respeet,  sin  cxcecdinjily  close  rescnililan''e  to 
our  nonliern  (1.  rocans  Duna.  Mr.  Sidney  L  Smith  considers  the  Brazilian 
s])eeies  as  identical  with  one  occurring  in  tiic  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  even  so  far 
north  ns  South  Carolina. 

t  These  fiddlers  are  called  by  the  fishermen  Chnmn  mnr^  (call  tide),  becMiiso  of 
their  conijreixatin^  at  low-water  mark  and  waving  their  big  claws. 


rROVINCE    OF    I5AIIIA. 


231 


admit  vessels  of  ordinary  toiuiago  and  tlie  coast inji'  steamers. 
The  reel"  is  liigher  than  that  at  Pernunil)U('(),  if  1  jnd^'o 
linlitly,  and  less  shattered  ;  l)nt,  as  ahove  remarked,  the 
I'ernauihuean  reef  is  exposed  to  the  full  action  of  the  sea. 
At  liijah  water  the  waves  also  break  completely  over  the 
I'orto  Seguran  reef.  Prince  Neu-Wied  gives  a  sketch  of 
Porto  Seguro  from  the  southern  ])oint.  Tiic  width  of  the 
liver  is  very  much  exaggerated. 

Tlie  line  of  the  tertiary  slopes  continues  on  without  inter- 
niptioii  to  Santa  Cruz;  but  the  shore  on  leaving  Porto 
Seguro  soon  separates  itself  from  the  ehapadas,  and  forms 
a  considerable  })oint  of  land,  of  which  the  interior  seems  to 
he,  for  a  ccnisiderablc  part  at  least,  swampy.  On  the  south- 
ern side  the  l^eacli  is  backed  l»y  mangrove  swamps,  from 
which  the  water  is  drained  by  a  little  stream  that  flows 
across  the  beach.  Tn  passing  very  close  to  the  i)()int  at  low 
tide,  I  observed  that  the  waves  were  breaking  along  a  lino 
at  some  distance  from  the  shore,  as  if  against  the  edge  of  a 
rocf.  It  would  appear  that  the  jjoint  has  been  formed  ])y 
llie  filling  up  of  the  channel  behind  a  coral  reef  with  sand. 
Santa  Cruz,  one  of  the  most  ancient  towns  of  Brazil,  and  at 
the  same  time  one  of  the  most  miserable,  is  built  on  the 
southern  side  of  the  mouth  of  the  little  river  Santa  Cruz, 
partly  on  the  top  of  the  bluff  and  partly  on  the  sands  at 
the  liase,  Ijctween  the  bluffs  and  the  sea.  Though  it  has 
a  fine  harl)or,  and  many  natural  advantages,  it  is  of  not 
the  sliuhtest  importance,  and  is  only  a  miserable  little  fish- 
ing village.  It  is  situated  in  a  shallow  l)ay,  about  seven 
milt's  long,  which  is  protected  by  coral  i-ecfs,  that  extend 
across  it,  offering  anchorage  for  large  sliijis. 

The  Kio  Santa  Cruz,  anciently  called  Joiio  de  Tiba,  be- 
longs to  the  same  class  of  rivers  as  the  Duranhaem,  but  it 


232 


GEOLOGY   AND   I'lIYSICAL   GEOGRAI'HY. 


is  a  smaller  river.  It  is  said  to  rise  in  the  Herra  dos 
Aymores,  to  have  a  course  of  alxnit  ten  leag'iu's,  and  to  lie 
iiavigal)lc  for  a  considerable  distance  for  canoes.  It  is  laid 
down  incorrectly  on  maps.  At  Santa  Cruz  I  was  infoniu'd 
that  its  course  was  such  as  to  cause  it  to  ai)i)roaLdi  the  ,h- 
quitinhoidia,  fr(jm  which,  at  Ziuebra,  it  is  sei)arated  by  only 
a  very  short  distance,  and  I  was  informed  that  it  would  ad- 
mit of  navigation  u|)  to  that  point  by  a  small  river  steamer. 
Prince  Ncu-Wicd  says  tliat  the  river  has  two  branches,  and 
that  the  head-waters  of  one  of  them  lie  so  near  the  Je((ui- 
tinhonha,  that  the  report  of  a  gun  can  be  heard  across  the  in- 
tervening s])acc.  The  valley  of  the  Santa  Cruz  is  of  the  same 
character  as  that  of  the  IJnranhaem.  It  is  fertile  and 
richly  wooded,  furnishing  building  timber  and  some  Jaea- 
randii  and  Piio  Brazil.  It  is  noted  for  the  abundance  ol' 
canna  Jistula  (^Cassia  nig'ra),  a  tree  valuable  for  its  medici- 
nal properties. 

The  river  on  reaching  the  sea  is  prevented  from  flow- 
ing innnediately  into  it  by  a  rccife,  or  consolidated  licaeli, 
which,  l)eginning  on  the  shore  just  to  the  south  of  the  vil- 
lage, continues  in  the  trend  of  the  beach,  which  is  north 
a  few  degrees  cast,  with  an  occasional  break  for  a  distance 
of  about  two  miles,  the  river  flowing  behind  it  and  escaping 
around  its  northern  extremity.  At  low  water  the  breakers 
show  that  the  reef  is  continued  under  water  with  the  same 
general  trend  northwards,  tying  in  with  a  reef  which,  Iic- 
ginning  at  a  ])oint  about  a  mile  north  of  the  river-mouth, 
fringes  the  beach  for  more  than  half  a  mile,  as  represented 
in  the  accompanying  sketch-map  of  the  bays  of  Santa  Cruz 
and  Cabral,  in  which  not  only  the  stone  but  coral  reefs  arc 
shown,  ^[ouchcz  has  very  incorrectly  represented  the  har- 
bor  in   his   chart.      Through  the   kindness   of  my  friend 


PROVINCE  OF  BAHIA. 


233 


JhvAi  AVilson,  Esq.,  supcriiitcmlcnt  of  tlic  Jjuhia  Steam 
Niiviuation  Company,  I  was  eiiahlud  to  revisit  Santa  Cruz 
ill  I.'"*)!,  and  to  correct  Mouchez\s  chart  by  dra\vin<,'s  made 
from  tlic  toi)  of  llio  old  churcli  on  the  bhiff,  and  tliesc 
corrections  1  have  introduced  in  the  maj).     in  front  of  the 


F^liSliiSP 


town  the  reef  clings  to  the  shore,  though  there  is  a  channel 
beliind  it  fdled  at  high  water.  The  reef  is  nmch  shattered, 
and  great  blocks  lie  tumbled  about  in  confusion,  broken 
from  it  by  the  waves.  For  a  distance  of  a  mile  or  so 
north  of  the  village  the  reef  is  backed  by  a  narrow  strip 
of  mangroves.  There  is  then  a  narrow  break  in  the  reef, 
forming  a  sort  of  bar,  into  which  very  small  vessels  may 
enter  at  high  water.  Thence  to  the  barra  the  reef  is  backed, 
almost  to  the  end,  by  a  wider  strip  of  mangroves.  At  the 
extremity  the  reef  is  double,  the  remains  of  an  older  reef 
being  visible  on  the  outer  side.  An  example  of  a  triple 
reef  is  represented  in  the  chart  of  the  mouth  of  the  Rio 
Taraliyba  do  Norte,  published  in  the  old  work  of  Barla3us, 


GKOLOGY  AND   PHYSICAL   GKOGHArilY. 


in  lOGO.*  I  have  never  seen  tliis  reef,  luid  know  notliiinr 
ol'  its  jn'cscnt  appt.'urance.  The  bar  oi"  the  Santa  (.'ruz 
is  froud,  and  may  be  safely  entered  by  coasting-  steamers  nr 
lai'ge  vessels.  At  the  time  of  my  last  visit  I  saw  a  hri;^- 
lying-  behind  the  reef  at  the  bar.  There  is  snOicient  water 
to  cnalde  steamers  a'  1  vessels  of  eonsiderable  size  to  ';n 
u\>  to  the  town.  This  harbor  could  be  very  nnicli  im[)r()V(il 
by  stopping  up  the  channels  by  which  part  of  the  river  walci' 
escaj)es  near  the  town  as  well  as  the  break  in  the  reefaliovc 
described.  This  would  cause  the  whole  force  of  the  stream 
to  be  expended  on  the  projicr  channel  of  the  river,  and  ii 
would  in  this  way  be  kei)t  from  bein  filled  uj)  by  mud  ami 
sand  banks.  The  country  in  the  \  ,cinity  of  Santa  Cruz, 
embracing  the  region  of  the  Jequitinhonha,  is  so  natiually 
rich,  that  as  the  coast  becomes  settled  it  nnist  one  day  lie 
developed,  and  one  cannot  doubt  that  Santa  Cruz  will  ulti- 
mately l)ecomc  the  port  of  the  Jequitinhonha,  and  a  place 
of  much  importance.  From  Santa  Cruz  the  bluffs  run 
northward,  following  close  to  the  shore,  with  occasionally 
some  sandy  tracts  in  front,  but  they  gradually  trend  off 
from  the  coast  and  cross  the  Jequitinhonha  between  Zinebra 
and  the  Po-assu. 

A  few  miles  north  of  the  Santa  Cruz  is  the  Tliu  Sunt' 
Antonio,  a  little  black-water  river  of  no  account.  Aliout  ii 
mile  and  a  half  north  of  this  river  1  saw  exjiosed  at  low- 
water,  in  a  li'tle  bay,  an  area  of  several  acres  of  dead  coral, 
princii>ally  Acanf/iastrcca,  etc.,  in  silii,  but  nuicli  worn  liy 
the  waves.  These  corals  must  have  grown  when  the  sea 
bottom  over  this  region  stood  at  a  considei-ably  lower  level 
than  at  present,  for  1  have  seen  them  nowhere  living  at  a 

*  For  a  reduced  ropy  of  a  part  of  the  eliart  of  Barlanis,  as  well  as  a  recent 
bkctch  map  alter  Almeida,  see  eluiptor  on  tUc  Proviueo  of  Tarahyba 


PROVINCE    OF   P.AHIA. 


2:15 


level  where  tlicv  would  1)C  likely  to  be  exposed  at  low  water. 
When  they  were  growing'  th(!  sands  Conning  the  low  grouiulH 
l)i)i(l('riiig  the  eoast  here  eould  not  have  had  so  wide  an 
oxtcusioii  seawards.  'JMns  reel'  patch  has  evidently  been 
killcil  liy  the  joint  rise  of  the  coast  and  the  eneroaehnient 
(if  the  shore  sands.  1  eolleeted  on  the  sh(jre  here  a  tii'eat 
iiiinil)er  of  s[)eeiniens  of  the  i)aneake  sea-nrehin  (Encvpc 
f)ii(iri^iii(ifiis),  so  eonnnon  in  the  Hahia  de  Todos  or  Santos. 
Xeii  Wied  speaks  of  the  jireat  abundance  of  this  echinoid 
oil  the  slujre  near  Sant'  Antonio,  lie  refers  it  to  Echinus 
yn\l(ij)()rus,  or  as  he  writes  it,  Esc/iini<s  j/cnlcipurus. 

Thence  northward  the  coast  is  bordered  l»y  a  narrow 
.stri[)  of  jilain,  which  widens  as  the  bluffs  recede  from  the 
coast,  and  linally  opens  out  into  l)road,  sandy  canipos,  which 
extend  from  the  Mugi(piisaba  River,  a  small  black-water 
stream,  to  Belniontc.  It  is  interesting  to  observe  how  this 
whole  plain  has  been  added  to  the  coast,  by  the  throwing 
up  liy  the  sea  of  the  sands  of  the  Jequitinhonha,  and  more- 
over tliat  this  growth  has  taken  ])laec  to  the  south  of  the 
river  rather  than  to  the  north,  becanso  of  the  sweeping  of 
the  .sai'ds  southwards  by  the  ol)li(iue  beat  of  the  waves,  and 
pLThaps  l)y  the  drift  of  a  sonthward  flowing  current.  In 
ii'oing  northward  from  the  Mngiqnisaba  to  the  Jequitinhonha 
the  water  gradually  shallows.  The  result  is  that  the  surf 
heats  more  heavily  on  the  southern  part  of  this  coast, 
and  we  tuid  a  high  beaeh-ridgc  devcloi)ed.  while,  near  the 
uioiith  of  the  Jc(iuitinhouha,  the  water  growing  shallow, 
the  bottom  is  disturbed  farihcr  out  by  wave  action,  and  the 
sands  are  constantly  being  driven  in  shore  to  widen  the 
plain,  and  of  course  extraordinai'ily  heavy  storms  arc  here 
likely  to  throw  up  Ijcaehes  outside  the  ])resent  shore  line, 
riio  plain  consists  of  a  large  number  of  parallel  beaches, 


23G 


GEOLOGY  AND  PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


one  lying  in  front  of  the  other,  sometimes  united,  at  otlicrs 
separated  l)y  miniature  valleys,  occasionally  only  a  few  feet 
in  width,  Ijut  often  continuous  for  a  considerable  distance. 
Many  of  tliesc  beaches  have  their  slopes  almost  as  })erfeet 
as  if  it  were  but  yesterday  that  they  were  swept  by  the 
waves.  In  the  depressions  water  accumulates,  sometimes 
forming  shallow  lagoons.  The  present  beach  on  goino- 
southward  from  the  barra  sei)aratcs  itself  from  the  idaiii, 
and  at  the  same  time  increases  in  height  as  the  surf  action 
becomes  heavier.  Behind  this  beach  is  a  narrow  rivor-like 
lagoon,  called  the  Lngoa  do  Bra(;o.  This  is  at  first  narrow 
and  shallow,  but  to  the  south  it  deepens  and  widens  s  the 
beach-ridge  becomes  separated  from  the  plain.  Its  waters 
are  fresh  and  clear,  and  very  rich  in  fish.  Cambuus,  or 
fish-weirs,  arc  common  along  its  shores,  which  are  niiuldy, 
and  to  a  very  large  extent  support  a  luxuriant  growth  of 
mangroves  and  guaxiima-bushes.  In  making  a  voyngc  to 
Porto  Heguro  my  companion  and  I  became  sei)arated  from 
our  baggage  troop,  which  was  following  the  beach,  and, 
taking  a  road  on  the  western  side  of  t'.ic  Lagoa,  wore  nn- 
able  to  cross  it  anywhere,  because  of  the  swampy  nature  of 
the  banks  and  the  dejith  of  the  Avater.  Prince  Xeu-Wied 
says  that  about  one  half  of  tlie  way  l)etween  ]\rugi(iuisiili!i 
and  the  Jcquitinlionha  is  the  barra  where  a  dried-up  arm 
of  the  latter  river  once  emptied  into  the  sea.  By  the 
dried-up  arm  he  probably  means  the  Lagna  do  Bra(;o,  which, 
as  he  travelled  along  the  sea-beach,  he  probably  did  not  ex- 
amine, as  he  says  nothing  about  it.  I  saw  no  outlet  to  the 
Lagoa.  When  swollen  it  may  break  tlirough  the  l)each 
ridge,  as  is  the  case  with  other  seaside  lagoons.  It  a]> 
pears  to  be  drained  principally  by  the  slow  percolation  ot 
its  waters  throuuh  the  beacli  into  the  sea. 


PROVINCE   OF   BAIIIA. 


237 


Tlio  itlain  is  to  a  large  extent  open  and  very  sparsely 
covered  with  coarse  grass,  bronieliaeeous  plants,  cactuses, 
A'c,  with  here  and  there  clumps  of  trees.  The  Aricuri 
jialni  is  very  common  on  this  plain,  together  with  tlie 
pretty  dwarf  Guriri.  This  latter,  all  along  the  wliole  coast, 
is  found  growing  on  and  just  l)ack  of  the  sea-ljeachcs,  and 
U  one  of  the  marked  elements  of  the  beach  flora.  Tlie 
Fiassal)a  i^alm  (Attalca  furiifcra  Mart.)  flourishes  on  the 
Mimi(iuisaba,  as  remarked  by  Xeu-Wied.  I  have  not  seen 
it  south  of  this  point.  Cactuses,  with  procumljcnt  ])ris- 
niatie  stems,  form  large  patches  on  the  sands.  Another 
very  cliaracteristic  plant  of  the  coast  sands  is  the  Ipomwa 
littoralis,  a  convolvulaceous  plant,  with  long,  thick,  cord-like 
cr  j.,.._   branches,  pink   blossoms,  and   large   thick   oval 

...  '  This  i)lant  grows  sometimes  on  the  beach  almost 
with"  .-each  of  the  waves,  and  its  prostrate  stems  arc  often 
Ituri      by  the  sands. 

Tlie  right  bank  of  the  river,  for  some  eight  or  ten  miles 
aliovc  its  mouth,  is  very  low  and  liable  to  be  flooded.  A 
very  large  part  consists  of  mangrove  swamps.  The  Po- 
Qssu*  is  a  very  narrow  ditch-like  canal  which  runs  through 
the  alluvial  grounds,  leading  off  part  of  the  waters  of  the 
Jcquitinlionha  into  a  small  black-water  river  called  the 
i^alsa.  uhich  flows  into  the  Pardo.  So  much  higher  do 
tlie  waters  of  the  Jequitinhonha  stand  alcove  those  of  the 
Pardo,  that,  though  the  tide  rises  and  ftdls  in  the  latter 
river  ^vllere  the  Po-assu  enters  it,  there  is  a  constant  flow 
of  water  from  the  Jequitinhonha  into  the  Pardo.  Tlie 
Po-assu  is  so  narrow,  tortuous,  and  fdled  up  with  trees,  that 

*  Tin's  name  is  Tupi.  Pd-api  means  lej)  hand,  so  that  it  mifrht  mean  Icft- 
Iiand  cli;<nnel.  Y(j-<ipa  means  a  swamp.  I  am  inclined  to  think  tliat  the  name 
was  fii-it  Y(j-ap6-u<;u,  or  the  great  swamp,  which  has  since  passed  to  the  canal. 


k 


238 


GEOLOGY  AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGnAPIIY. 


its  current  is  measurably  slackened,  else  it  would  swoop  out 
for  itself  a  I)roader  channel  and  draw  off  a  larger  (|Uiiiititv 
of  water  from  the  Jecjnitinhonha.  What  the  C()nse(|iioii(c 
of  ill  is  would  he  I  shall  state  further  on.  The  soil  of  the 
grounds  bordering  the  Po-assi'i  is  massape,  and  sujjports  a 
very  vigorous  and  thick  forest  growth.*  From  the  Salsa, a!'(-r 
having  received  the  Po-assii,  side  arms  stretch  out  eastward 
into  llie  flat  grounds  lying  between  it  and  the  sea.  The 
whole  area  embraced  between  the  Pardo  and  Je({uitinhoiilia. 
the  cross-stream  and  the  sea,  is  one  vast  swamj),  conii)ar- 
able  to  that  which  lies  between  the  Pcruhyi)e  and  the 
Caravellas  ;  the  Po-assii  being  comparable  to  the  Bra(;o  de 
Yirosa,  both  the  Po-assii  and  Bra(;o  being  channels  hy 
which  the  waters  of  a  river  with  an  inelTicient  nioiith- 
0})ening  are  enabled  to  esca^ie  into  the  sea  through  the 
mouth  of  another  river.  There  arc  some  quite  extciisivo 
sandy  tracts  in  this  area  and  along  the  coast.  These  arc 
jilanted  with  groves  of  cocoa-palms,  from  the  fruit  of  wliich 
cocoa-oil  is  to  some  extent  manufactured.  A  large  tract 
lying  northward  of  the  Salsa,  and  emln-aced  l)et\ve('n  it 
and  the  Pardo,  is  of  the  same  character.  The  Panlo  is  a 
large  river,  and  has  a  bar  on  which  the  waves  beat  fearfully, 
but  it  usually  admits  at  high  water  of  the  passage  of 
steamers  under  the  proper  pilotage.  The  Pardo  docs  not 
bring  down  so    much  sediment  as  the  Jccpiitinhonha,  its 


*  In  the  forest  of  the  Po-assii  the  Qititdra  (Dcsmoncns),  a  trailinj;-  p;ilni, 
is  exceedingly  common,  interwoven  witli  the  trees.  I  saw  it  in  fruit  early 
in  May.  The  fruit  is  round,  about  the  size  of  a  small  cheiry,  bright  red, 
and  in  clusters  like  cnijics.  This  is  a  common  species  found  in  tlie  ratiiiira 
woods  on  the  low  grounds  along  the  coast,  sometimes  in  such  great  abundance 
as  to  be  a  nuisance,  for  it  hangs  its  pendant  leaves,  terminated  with  hooks,  over 
the  mule-path.  The  name  Quitara  is  the  one  given  it  by  my  guide.  On  the 
Pio  Negro  the  Desmoncus  macroacanthus  is  called  Jocitdm. 


PROVINCE   OF   BAHIA. 


239 


clianiicl  is  clpcpor,  and  the  tide  rniis  np  the  river  for  quite  a 
nuii'l)or  of  miles. 

Just  before  entering  the  scathe  river  makes  a  1»ond  south- 
ward, and  the  barra  is  really  cut  through  a  strip  of  sand-beaeli 
which  forms  the  shore  for  a  long  distance  north  and  south. 
A  wide  channel,  or  riaclio,  leaves  the  river  on  the  south  just 
liclbro  it  cuts  through  the  sand,  and  rvnis  through  the  man- 
LHovo  swamps  for  a  consideraldc  distance  southward.  In 
journeying  from  Cannavieiras*  to  Belmonte  I  f()llowed  this 
route.  My  comi)anion  and  I  took  canoe  up  this  riacho  as  far 
as  was  possible,  then  coming  to  a  sandy  tract,  we  chose  the 
sca-sliorc  for  some  distance,  when  we  eml)arked  in  a  canoe  on 
another  riacho  which  led  southward  to  the  Jcquitinlionha,  a 
dismal,  but  to  the  naturalist  exceedingly  interesting  journey. 
There  was  a  perfect  network  of  channels  leading  through 
Iho  dense  mangrove  growth,  and  for  some  distance  little 
land  was  to  be  seen.  The  mangroves  standino'  in  the 
mud  or  dirty  Avater,  with  their  bared  basal  roots,  their  fre- 
quont  aerial  roots  hanging  ropelike  from  the  l)ranchcs,  and 
just  liefore  reaching  the  soil  forking  like  tripods,  their  dense 
green  foliage  meeting  overhead,  and  their  curious  cigar- 
sliajicd  seeds  pendent  in  the  tree  or  occasionally  sticking 
iipright  in  the  mud,  were  objects  of  wonder  and  admira- 
tion ;  l)ut  among  their  roots  innumerable  fuzzy  and  muddy- 
logged  Guayamu  crabs  glared  at  us  Avith  expressionless  eyes, 
and  then  hustled  away  into  their  holes  in  the  black  mud. 
Beautiful  orange  Aratiis,  with  white  fingers,  lay  like  rich 
fruit  fallen  from  the  trees;  but  they,  too,  took  friglit  and 
ran  nimbly  off  to  their  holes,  or  hid  in  crevices  under  the 
roots,  while  myriads  of  fiddlers  marched  away,  waving  their 

*  Tliis  is  the  usual  orthography,  but  one  meets  with  Canavieira,  Canaviciras, 
or  even  Civmsvieiras. 


240 


GEOLOGY  AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


big  arms,  and  took  refuge  in  the  sandy  spots.  Parrots* 
screamed  among  the  branches  ;  but,  prstr  !  mosquitoes  ami 
all  the  liorril>lc  Ijlood-sucking  race  of  Muroims,  Piiiiny., 
&c.,  swarm  ;  and,  how  ardent  soever  the  naturalis^t  inny 
be,  his  ])atiencc  can  ill  stand  the  plague  of  flics  that  fails 
upon  him  in  these  swamps.  The  air  of  the  swanijis  is 
very  unhealthy,  and  the  vicinity  of  Belmontc  and  Caniia- 
viciras  is  feverish.  The  town  of  Cannavieiras  is  situutoil 
on  the  left  bank  of  the  river,  just  above  the  mouth.  It 
is  built  on  an  old  beach,  an  island  surrounded  l)y  a  chan- 
nel, which,  leaving  the  river  some  distance  al)Ove  the  town. 
enters  it  again  just  before  the  river  reaches  the  sea.  The 
town  is  quite  a  consideral)lc  place,  numbering,  perhaps,  two 
thousand  inhabitants.  It  derives  its  chief  importance  fioin 
the  fact  that  it  is  the  port  of  the  Jequitinhonha  and  Tardo. 
and  is  one  of  the  stations  of  a  line  of  steamers.  Canoes  dc- 
sccnding  the  Jequitinhonha  do  not  go  to  Belmontc,  but  come 
here  by  Avay  of  the  Po-assu  and  Salsa,  to  exchange  tlic 
cotton,  corn,  and  other  articles  of  export  of  Minas  and  the 
lower  river  for  salt,  dry  goods,  S:c.  The  salt  trade  is  very 
large.  In  descending  the  Jequitinhonha,  we  passed  cveiy 
day  several  large  canoes  on  the  up  voyage,  the  most  of 
them  carrying  salt. 

It  has  lieen  proposed  to  straighten  and  widen  the  Po-assii. 
so  as  to  facilitate  the  navigation  between  the  two  gieat 
rivers.  At  present  the  waters  of  the  Pardo  during  the  annual 
freshets  wear  away  the  unstable  land  on  which  Cannavieiras 
stands.  "Were  the  Po-assu  widened  and  a  free  passage  ojicncd 
for  the  waters  of  the  Jequitinhonha,  the  result  would  ])rovc 
disastrous  to  Cannavieiras  as  Avell  as  to  Belmontc.    At  ))res- 

*  Psittacus  ochrocephalus  Linn,  builds  its  nest  in  the  mangroves.    Sec  Ncii 
Wictl. 


PROVINCE   OF   BAIIIA. 


241 


cnt  tlic  struggle  between  river  aiul  sea  is  only  sufficient  to 
koo|»  llie  liar  of  the  Jequitinhonlui  open.  Draw  o\T  any  eon- 
siderable  j)art  of  the  water  of  that  river,  and  it  is  very 
dituliiful  wliether  its  bar  would  not  l)ecomc  a  ])ernianent 
olistniction  to  navigation,  while  the  sands  (jf  the  .recjui- 
liuluiulia,  thrown  into  the  Pardo,  would  probably  shoal  tlio 
water  and  render  its  bar  worse.  Santa  Cruz  is  the  natu- 
ral port  of  the  Jecpiitinhonha,  and  it  would  certainly  seem 
tliat  the  commerce  of  the  Jequitinhonlui  would  be  vastly 
iinpi'evcd  l)y  using  the  river  Santo  Cruz  so  far  as  it  is 
iiaviuublc  by  steamers,  and  then  Iniilding  a  good  wagon- 
road  tlience  to  the  Jequitinhonha. 

The  Pardo  is  joined  with  the  Poxim,  a  small  river  said 
to  take  its  rise  in  a  large  lake,  and  whose  bari'a  is  a  few 
miles  north  of  that  of  the  Pardo,  by  a  narrow  arm  running 
jianillel  with  and  close  to  the  shore,  and  called  the  Patipe. 
Caiinavieiras  itself  is  situated  on  an  island  formed  liv  a 
L'liamiel  called  the  Rio  Sip6  which  leaves  the  Pardo  and 
joins  the  Patipe.  The  Poxim,  just  before  it  unites  with  this 
last  river,  suljdivides  and  enters  the  sea  by  two  mouths,  one 
of  Avhirh  is  called  the  Barra  do  Patipe,  and  the  other  on 
the  north  the  Barra  do  Poxim.  One  or  two  channels 
continuing  northward  from  the  Poxim  like  the  Patipe, 
niniiing  just  inside  the  coast  line,  em})ty  into  the  sea  a 
couple  of  leagues  to  the  north  at  the  Barra  dc  Com- 
maiidatuba.  This  whole  coast  has  been  very  indifferently 
mappod  inside  the  coast  line.  The  Jequitinhonha  and 
rardo  are  often  shown  as  entering  the  sea  by  the  same 
mouth. 

The  map  of  Senhor  Henrique  Gerber,  so  excellent  for  the 
provinces  of  Minas  Geraes,  Rio  de  Janeiro,  and  Espirito 
^  auto,  IS  exceedingly  defective  so  far  as  the  province  of 

Vol..    I.  11  f 


242 


GEOLOGY  AND   rHY':;iCAL   GEOGRAniV. 


Biilila  is  concerned  ;  but  it  must  1)C  remembered  that  his 
map  dtjcs  iKjt  j)retcnd  to  1)0  a  map  of  JJahia. 

This  ]»art  ol"  the  coast  is  better  shown  on  the  niaj)  ol"  tlic 
Tcaenlc  3Ianocl  Erncslu  tie  Sauza  Franpa,  published  in  the 
report  of  the  President  of  IJahia  in  18(J(J  ;  l)ut  even  this 
only  g'ives  the  general  features,  and  is  not  based  on  a  caro- 
ful  survey. 

According  to  Prince  Xcu-Wicd's  edition  of  Arrowsniitli's 
^[np  of  the  JJraziliau  Coast,  no  connection  is  shown  ar  (list- 
ing between  the  Jecpiitinhonha  and  Pardo,  and  the  latter 
river  is  represented  as  dividing  into  three  a  long  distaiii'c 
from  the  coast,  two  of  which  unite  before  entering  the  sea, 
while  the  Poxini  and  Commandatuba,  though  joined  to- 
gether, have  no  connection  with  the  Pardo. 


TIk!  Dicciouario  GcogTitphlco  declares  that  the  Rio  Par 


m 


divides  into  two  streams,  one  of  which  enters  the  sea  iiiulcr 
the  imme  of  the  Rio  Pardo,  the  other  emptying  into  the  l!ay 
of  llheos  under  the  name  of  Cachoeira  or  Patipe,  which 
is  all  simply  ridiculous. 

Mr.  Copeland  and  I  ascended  the  Pardo  to  the  head  of 
canoe  navigation,  a  journey  of  about  three  days,  and  the 
following  notes  were  made  on  the  return  voyage. 

At  the  Caxocirinha  do  Rio  Pardo  the  river  reaches  the 
low  country  and  becomes  a  rio  de  arcia.  Here  luivigatioii 
is  obstructed  by  a  series  of  rapids  caused  by  the  river  falling 
over  ledges  of  slate  conglomerate,  of  which  the  dip  was 
found  to  be  4")°  to  the  S.  10°  W.,  a  dip  corresponding  with 
that  of  no  other  strata  I  have  studied  on  the  Bia/ilian 
coast.  The  material  is  a  very  highly  altered  conglunierato. 
composed  of  pel)bles  of  milky  quartz,  granite  with  quartz  in 
lamella?,  Arc,  imbedded  in  a  slaty  mass.  Tlie  rock  is  ex- 
ceedingly hard,  and  appears  to  resist  decomposition.    The 


PROVINCE   OF   BAHIA. 


243 


stratification  is  not  very  distinct.  On  tho  water-worn  pur- 
fiiL'i's  the  i)el)bles  stand  out  \-ery  prominently,  but  a  fracture 
jiiisses  straiglit  through  pebbles  as  Avell  as  cement.  At 
the  Ctixoeirinlia  these  rocks  are  overlaid  by  tertiary  beds, 
wliii'li  form  plains  elevated  thi'eo  hundred  feet,  more  or 
jrss,  ubove  the  river,  and  which  descend  with  very  steep 
slopes  to  the  stream.  The  alluvial  deposits  along  the  i-iver 
reach  a  height  of  aljout  twenty-five  feet  aliove  the  river 
level.  During  the  enchente  these  are  sometimes  at  least 
nverdowed.  The  lands  here  are  very  fertile,  and  the  whole 
country  appears  to  be  densely  wooded,  but  uninhabited. 

Slate  conglomerate  and  sandstone  continue  to  show  them- 
selves in  the  river-bank  for  a  mile  or  more  below  the  Caxoei- 
riiilia.  when  to  these  rocks  succeeds  a  fine-grained  bluish 
slaty  lock,  an  altered  shale,  in  which  I  could  find  no  trace 
of  fossils. 

A  few  rods  above  the  fazenda  of  Sistcrio  there  are  some 
ledLics  of  a  fine-grained,  very  hard,  bluish,  compact,  altered 
samlstoiie,  with  occasional  bands  of  grit  and  conglomerate, 
ami  often  very  beautifully  obli(!uely  laminated.  In  this  rock 
1  ('lisei'ved  remains  of  ])lants,  and  one  surface  of  rock  had  the 
iin|iressious  of  several  stems  of  a  thick-noded  ecpiisetaccous 
l)laiit.  One  stem  showed  three  nodes  and  another  two.  the 
leiiiiili  of  tho  intcrnodcs  being  al)Out  three  inches.  Owing 
t't  the  hardness  of  the  rock,  I  was  able  to  bring  away  only 
the  impression  of  a  single  node.  This  plant  resembles  in  its 
swollen  nodes  a  plant  not  uncommon  in  the  ujjjier  Devonian 
rocks  of  St.  John.  New  Brunswick,  and  called  Aslrrophyl- 
Ith's  /  sni/inrra  Dawson.  These  beds  appear  to  me  to  be 
piiUi'ozoic. 

Below  this  point  the  river  valley  becomes  wider  and  the 
alhiviul  lands  more  extensive,  though  the  river  itself  is  not 


244 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


SO  very  wide,  as  it  averages  for  a  considerable  distance  only 
al)Out  three  hundred  feet.  The  country  is  ahundantly  Inr- 
cst-clothed,  and  the  river-banks,  which  arc  veiy  fertile,  air 
more  or  less  cul'Livated,  several  large  fazendas  l)eing  scattcivil 
along  the  I'iver.  Sonic  of  these  are  very  ])icturcs(|U('ly  sitii- 
tcd,  and  are  surrounded  by  orange,  banana,  jack  and  ('(u'ou 
trees.  Ca^iiio  {Theohroma  Cacao)  is  quite  extensively  cul- 
tivated here.  This  plant  is  a  native  of  the  Amazonas,  \\ licic 
it  flourishes  almost  without  culture  ;  *  the  cacaoeiros,  wlicn 
once  they  have  begun  to  bear  fruit,  requiring  little  care.  It 
needs  a  warm  damp  climate  and  a  rich  alluvial  soil,  and 
appears  to  suffer  nothing  from  an  occasional  freshet.  South 
of  the  Amazonas  it  is  cultivated  l)nt  rarely,  though  even  in 
the  ])rovince  of  TJahia  there  are  some  (piite  large  i)lantati()ns, 
especially  at  llhcos  on  the  Pardo,  and  at  Yalcn(;a.  I  saw 
no  cacao  in  the  province  of  Espirito  Santo.  A  little  is  cul- 
tivated in  the  province  of  Rio  de  Janeiro.  In  the  Amazon- 
ian region  the  fruit,  when  ripe,  is  collected  twice  a  year 
aiul  dried  in  the  sun  ;  the  seeds  arc  then  separated  from  the 
shells,  and  arc  emidoyed  principally  for  the  manufacture  of 
chocolate  or  other  preparations  for  beverages.  They  furnish 
a  thick  yellow  fatty  substance  which  is  sometimes  extracted 
and  used  for  various  purposes. 

Coffee  does  not  produce  well  here.  The  trees  grow  very 
rank  and  high,  with  spreading  branches ;  but  the  berric.^s  rijien 
very  unequally,  and  not  unfrequently  have  to  be  gathered  six 
times  during  the  year.  This  is  owing  to  the  peculiar  climate 
of  the  region.  In  Rio  do  Janeiro,  Minas,  and  elsewhere, 
there  are  well-defined  wet  and  dry  seasons  during  the  year, 
and  these  ai)pear  to  be  necessary  for  the  successful  culture 
of  coffee  ;  but  here  on  the  Pardo  a  very  large  quantity  of 

*  See  Bates,  The  Natnralist  on  the  Amazons,  pp.  87  and  162. 


PROVINCE   OF   DAHIA. 


24; 


rain  falls,  and  is  distiiljiitod  tliroiighout  the  entire  year, 
luukini;,^  the  climate  very  damp,  so  that  wliilo  it  is  especially 
adapted  fur  the  culture  of  cacao  it  does  nut  ilo  foi-  cofVee. 
Oil  (lie  hiji'lier  chaiiada  lands,  liowever,  where  the  soil  is 
sandy  and  drier,  eoiree  and  cotton  may  l)e  cultivated. 
Alluvial,  flat,  damj)  lands  are  nowhere  pro|)er  for  coflec, 
which  flourishes  hest  on  hillsides. 

The  Jack  (^Artocarpiis  Brazilicnsis  Gom.)  is  cultivated 
ill  Brazil,  particularly  in  the  province  of  Bahia  and  to  the 
unith,  though  I  have  seen  it  at  Silo  Matheos,  and  occasion- 
tiiiy  as  far  south  as  Rio.  It  also  occurs  in  Minas  Oeraes, 
l)ut  ill  the  ])rovince  of  JJahia  it  becomes  of  considerahle  iin- 
liui'taiicc.  The  timber  is  valuable  for  building  purposes,  I)eing 
very  durable  and  strong.  The  fruit  is  innnense,  being  some- 
times a  foot  and  a  half  in  the  longer  diameter.  It  consists 
(if  a  stringy,  nnicilaginous,  sweet,  and  nutritious  pul[),  in 
which  are  imbedded  large  seeds,  which,  Avhen  cooked,  are 
('(HMe  and  nourishing,  and  arc  largely  used  for  food.  In 
some  ]»arts  a  kind  of  farinha  is  })i'e})ared  from  them,  l»ut 
its  use  is  by  no  means  general.  The  Fniita  pno  or  l>read- 
fi'uit,  Arforarpus  incisa,  is  also  cultivated  in  Brazil,  and 
may  be  seen  very  frequently  in  the  province  of  Bahia. 

The  forests  on  the  banks  of  the  Pardo  remind  one  of  the 
Dueo  ill  their  luxuriance.  The  trees  by  the  river-side  are 
loaded  with  i)arasites  and  interlaced  with  pendent  rope-like 
cipos.  Ferns  arc  very  nnmerous,  and  one  species,  with 
beautiful  fringed  pinna),  climbs  up  the  trees  to  a  height  of 
forty  I'cet  or  more.  One  sees  here  a  species  of  grass  called 
C'ajiim  (la  Coloiiia,  (an  exotic?)  which  has  been  introduced 
on  the  Pardo,  and  has  spread  within  the  last  few  years 
quite  extensively  over  the  river-banks.  At  the  Estreito 
there  is  an  isolated  patch  of  tertiary,  but  below  that  the 


246 


GI'OLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


lands  liordcriiig'  the  river  jirc  Jill  low.  A  short  distance  ho- 
h)\v  the  Finado,  a  channel  cut  across  a  hcnd  in  the  livci', 
the  lands  become  lower  and  less  lieavily  wooded,  iind 
anin^a  and  (Juaxuma  bushes  appear  on  the  banks,  —  un 
inl'allible  sign  of  tlie  ajjproach  to  salt  or  brackish  wah  r. 
There  is  a  I'ei'n  connnon  to  the  UKJuths  ol'  the  rivers  on  tin' 
coast  which  ai)i)ears  to  jireler  this  kind  of  water.  It  lias 
a  tall,  erect,  narrow  frond,  with  stiff,  long",  narrow  |)iiniiil(s 
bent  ui)ward  toward  the  stem.*  It  grows  al)undantly  in  ilic 
vicinity  of  the  Furado,  on  the  muddy  banks  reached  by  the 
brackish  water. 

Fi'oni  Cannavieiras  to  the  Rio  Foxim  runs  a  canal,  scjia- 
rated  from  the  sea  by  a  beach-ridgo,  and  thence  noiOiwaid 
this  same  canal  extends  to  the  Conunandatuba,  and  is  said 
to  afford  Avater  comniunication  to  the  latter  river  from  the 
Pardo.  Tlie  Conunandatuba  flows  into  this  channel,  wliirli 
is  ))rolonged  Just  behind  the  beach  for  some  distance  iinrili- 
ward  before  it  opens  out  into  the  sea.  At  the  l]ana  ila 
Commandatuba  a  colony  has  been  estalilished,  and  there  is 
a  little  village  of  thirty  or  more  houses  theie.  The  slioie  lic- 
tween  the  Commandatuba  and  the  Una  is  low  and  ilat,  Imt 
a  short  distance  inland  one  sees  the  tertiary  slojtes,  wliicli 
stretch  along  nort^.vard  from  the  Jequitinhonha  and  Panto. 

The  Una  is  a  little  river  which,  according  to  Prince  Xeii 
Wied,  is  so  dry  at  ebb  tide  as  to  ])C  easily  forded.  Tlicre 
arc  some  excellent  lands  on  this  river,  and  the  forests  are 
rich  in  jacaranda  and  other  valuable  Avoods.  This  river  is 
noteworthy  for  bending  northward  just  before  reaching  the 
sea,  and  flowing  a  little  distance  behind  the  beach-ridge. 

Opposite  the  mouth  of  the  Pardo  several  high  hills,  lying 

*  This  must  lie  a  species  well  known,  but  in  tlio  absence  of  speciiuens  I 
cannot  ai\e  its  name. 


PROVINCK   OF   HAHIA. 


247 


some  twenty  niilcs  iiilaiul  west  (jf  Coinniandatulta,  aro  visihlo 
■it  sea,  and  appear  to  he  ^'iieiss,  luit  wlieii  (AY  the  I'lia  a 
Iiiu\y  niouiitain  ran^'e,  with  oiitliiies  Hke  those  of  the  uiieiss 
hills  iiortli  and  south,  is  seen  stretehin;;'  ol't'  iiMi'thwai'd,  and 
tiiiccalile  beyond  lllu'os,  prohahly  tyini;'  iu  with  liie  nioun- 
tiiiiis  of  Canianiu.  This  ranuc;  is  ealled  the  Sena  (h' 
haiiii'a.*  Sonic  of  the  hills  in  this  range  lunst  betiiree  thou- 
siiiitl  feet  in  height  or  more.  1  insert  hero  an  outline  sketrh  of 
this  coast,  to  show  the  character  of  the  topography.     1  was 


nnicli  struck  witli  the  outline  of  the  tahlc-to])pcd  hill  on  the 
ri'ilit,  which  appears  to  he  conii)Oscd  of  soft  horizontal  rocks. 
Mav  it  not  he  an  outlier  of  the  great  tertiary  sheet  that 
covers  so  large  an  area  in  the  interior,  and  which  in  sonic 
places  must  have  extended  down  to  the  coast  heforc  the 
deposition  of  the  coast  tertiary  l)eds?  I  would  suggest  a 
comparison  between  it  and  the  hills  of  Monte  Alegrc  on  the 
Arau/.ouas. 

From  the  Una  northwards  the  tertiary  plains  descend  to 
the  coast  and  extend,  with  high,  stccj),  wooded,  rarely  j)er- 
])en(licular  slopes,  seaward  to  llheos.  A  few  insignilieant 
little  streams  empty  into  the  sea  along  this  coast.  As  a 
liciieral  thing,  a  strip  of  flat  sandy  or  mai'shy  ground 
runs  along  under  the  hlulfs.  The  Piassaha  ])abn  {Aifft/ca 
ftitiifcrd)  grows  very  abundantly  on  the  slopes  and  the 
plain  aI)ove,  as  Prince  Neu-AVied  has  remarked.  This 
author  says  that  he  did  not  see  it  anywliere  north  of  llheos. 
It  now  covers  large  tracts  on  the   Rio  Paraguassu,  below 

*  Prince  Xeu-Wieil  says  that  gold  isfuuiid  hure. 


li4S 


GEOLOGY  AND  rilYSICAL  GKOGRAPIIV. 


Caxoc'ira,  and  aloiij^  tlio  IJaliia  and  Silo  Francisco,  ami  its 
fihro  is  quill'  ail  impoilanl  articlt;  ol' commerce!.  I'riiicc  Xcn 
Wied  sjii'aks  oriiiidiii^'  roundt'd  IVa<.nii('nts  of  pumice  *  on  the 
shore  near  lliis  place,  and  statt's  his  heliel'  that  they  \\{>\v 
(h-ifled  to  the  Ih'a/iUan  coast,  I'rom  the  ishiud  ol' Ascension. f 
lie  sp(?aks  of  lindint^  them  on  the  shore  near  Porto  Seoiiio. 
and  1  havi"  picked  up  largo  quantities  on  the  island  ol'  Santa 
IJarhara  dos  Ahrolhos. 

The  little  village  of  Olivenra  is  situated  on  the  toj)  (if  a 
hill  liy  the  shore,  about  nine  miles  south  of  Ilheos.  Its  in- 
habitants, civilized  Indians,  employ  themselves  in  makiiiu' 
straw  hats,  baskets,  itc,  which  they  send  to  Ilheos  i)y  wiiv 
of  the  beach,  on  mule-back.  They  plant  only  enoniih  tu 
sujiport  themselves. 

As  al)ove  remarked,  in  speaking  of  the  Rio  Pardo,  it  ^\•as 
believed  that  that  river  divided,  part  of  its  waters  tlowiiiLi' 
into  the  sea  at  Cannaviciras,  while  another  ])art,  undir 
the  name  of  the  Rio  Cachoeira,  flowed  into  the  bay  of  Sao 
Jorgo  dos  Ilheos.  There  is  a  road,  or  rather  trail,  throndi 
the  forest  following  this  river  into  ^linas,  and  Pi-incc  Xcii 
Wied  travelled  over  it,  crossing  the  head-waters  ol"  lln' 
Cachoeira.  lie  says  nothing  ^^>ont  tliat  river  being  (inlv 
an  oii^ct  from  the  Pardo,  and  a  his  map  of  the  coast  be- 
tween the  twelfth  and  fifteenth  parallels,  after  Arrowsniith, 
he  represents  the  Rio  Cachoeira  as  taking  its  source  very 
near  the  Pardo,  at  some  considerable  distance  below  the 
Villa  da  Yareda,  and  this  is  probably  correct.  Just  above 
the  mouth  of  the  river  a  small  river  called  the  Rio  do  Fiui- 
diio  emi»ties  into  it. 

*  Beisp,  Vol.  II.  p.  85. 

■f  Tills  lianlly  scom.s  probable,  since  there  is  a  southwnrd-flowin;,'  current 
setting  iilong  the  Braziliim  coast  south  of  Cape  St.  Roque. 


rRoviNci:  OF  r.AiiiA. 


240 


III  tlio  year  1S17  rriiR-c  'Sl-.w.  zii  Ncii-Wicd  iiiiKlc  a 
joiinii'V  into  the  interior  from  Uheos  to  the  borders  of  Miiias, 
iiinl  then  went  by  hind  throntih  the  interior  1o  the  IJiiy  of 
Tdilfis  OS  Santos.  His  voya,u(i  is  full  of  intercsl,  but  I  ex- 
tract from  it  only  a  few  [loiiits  which  Iicar  upon  the  geogra- 
phy, natural  history,  tVe.   of  the  country. 

llis  j)icture  of  the  forest  on  tlu;  ri\('r  ueai"  liheos  is  so 
{•Taiid,  and  so  true  to  natnre,  that  1  translate  a  portion 
of  it :  — 

"•  liife  and  luxuriant  plant  growth  is  spread  everywlierc. 
Nitwlicre  is  there  a  li\!ic  sj)ot  without  plants.  On  all  stems 
species  of  Pdssi/lord,  Cafacliuin,  DrdcontiiDn,  Pi/nr,  B(<^(>- 
iiiit,  and  J'J/}idi'iidrii>n,  besides  many  ferns,  lichens,  and 
mosses  of  ditlerent  kinds,  bloom,  climb,  luxuriate,  and  at- 
tach themselves.  The  forest  is  made  np  of  the  genei-a  Cocas, 
Mi'/fisf()))ia,  Bignunid,  R/icxia,  JM'unosa,  L{L>d,  Bomhax,  Ilex, 
Lininis,  Jf//rf/iiis,  Eugenia,  Jacuranda,  Jutropha,  Visinin, 
Li'ri/f/iis,  Ficus,  and  a  thousand  other,  for  the  most  part, 
imknown  species  of  trees,  whose  fallen  llowei's  one  sees 
lying  on  the  ground,  and  can  hardly  guess  from  which  giant 
trc(^  they  eamc.  Others  covered  Avith  blossoms  shine  afar, 
while,  liright  yellow,  bright  red,  rose-red,  violet,  sky-blue, 
ttc.  and  in  swani]iy  places  there  rise,  thickly  crowded  to- 
gether, the  great  elliptical  leaves  of  the  Ilidicouias  on 
long  stems  often  ten  to  twelve  feet  high,  and  noteworthy 
for  their  bright  red  or  fiery  flowers.  On  the  highest 
trunks,  high  up  in  the  forks  of  the  branches,  grow  immense 
tufts  of  Broinclias,  with  large  clusters  [Bl/imcnfiulbeii  vnd 
Trcnthcii]  of  light  cinnahar-rcd  flowers,  or  of  some  other 
color ;  from  these  fall  great  bundles  of  roots  like  cords, 
which  hang  down  to  the  earth  and  form  a  new  obstruction 
for  travellers.  Such  bromclia-clumps  i\\  all  the  trees, 
11  * 


250 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGUAniY, 


and  wlicii  witli  the  linsc  of  years  they  die,  and  arc  dislod'jod 
by  tlic  wuid,  they  fall  with  a  crash.  A  thou.sand  llianas,  from 
the  slightest  thread  to  the  thickness  of  a  man's  thigh,  and  of 
hard,  tongh  wood  (^Bau/iinia,  Banisleria,  Paulinia,  tW-.), 
entwine  the  trnnks,  climb  even  to  the  highest  top  of  llie 
tree,  where  they  blossom  and  bear  frnit  where  no  human 
eye  can  see  them.  Many  of  them  arc  so  wonderlullv 
formed  that  one  cannot  look  upon  them  without  amazement, 
as,  for  instance,  certain  species  of  Baahiida.  Fnjm  many  (if 
these  the  trunk  around  which  they  had  wound  decays,  ami 
here  stands  a  giant  coiled  serpent,  whose  origin  makes  itself 
easily  understood  in  this  way."  * 

In  penetrating  into  the  interior  the  country  becomes  grad- 
ually higher,  and  at  the  same  time  drier,  while  the  forest 
becomes  less  and  less  luxuriant,  and  finally  ])asses,  on  the 
higher  ground,  into  a  catinga,  which  begins,  on  the  road  to 
Minas,  at  Porto  da  Canoa,  on  the  Rio  Cachoeira.  Bronulia- 
ceous  ])lants  become  more  abundant,  Avith  several  s])ecics  of 
Sulanacea',  Mi/)iosas,  and  the  stinging  Cansaiicao  {Jatroplia 
vrens}.  In  the  valleys,  however,  the  forest  is  still  dense  and 
thick.  In  the  catinga  grows  a  cactus  (Ccreus)  with  im- 
mense stems  reaching  a  height  of  fifty  or  sixty  feet,  witli  a 
diameter  of  two  feet.  On  the  wcotern  side  of  the  Kilieirao 
da  Issara  is  a  range  of  hills,  called  the  Serra  da  Sussuarana, 
which  arc  not  very  high,  Imt  covered  with  nu\sses  of 
loose  rocks  and  stones,  Avitli  a  thick  growth  of  catiniia. 
The  country  onward  to  the  Giboya,  a  little  stream  flowing 
southward  into  ihe  Pardo,  is  covered  with  catinga.  Here. 
as  elsewhere,  the  low  grounds  of  the  valleys  are  filled  with 
high  forests,  l)ut  the  woods  on  the  slopes  and  high  lands 
grow  lower,  and   come  under  the   class  of  catinga.     The 

*  Rclse,  Band  IL  Sci^c  10(5. 


PROVINCE   OF   BAHIA. 


251 


Prince  says  tliat  tlic  Gil)oya  flows  over  Granit-tafeln 
(uiitiss).  I  should  judge  from  Ids  description  that  the 
cmutrv  between  the  Giljoya  and  llhcos  was  of  the  same 
cliaractcr.  A  short  distance  to  the  westward  of  the  (lihoya 
is  a  range  of  mountains,  "  wIkjsc  hills,  of  a  considerable 
lu'iulit,  have  a  rounded  outline,  and  are  strewed  over  with 
luassfs  of  rocks  and  granite  l)locks  in  which  especially  veiy 
large  jjieces  of  white  quartz  occur.  The  whole  vicinity  is 
(ivcrgrown  Avith  very  thick  forest  or  catinga.  These 
mountains  bear  the  name  of  i^erra  do  jNIundo  Novo.  The 
fu'st  mountain  is  the  highest ;  it  rises,  it  is  true,  with  gentle 
slu})es,  1)ut  it  requires  a  full  hour  to  ascend  it.  Thence  on- 
Avard  hills  and  valleys  alternate,  until  one  at  last  descends 
into  a  cons-.ierablc  depression.     The  Rio  Pardo  Hows  to  the 

kt't,  in  a  deci)  valley  parallel  with  the  road So  soon 

as  wc  had  left  behind  us  the  fatiguing  Serra  we  found  the 
wood  still  more  changed  into  catinga,  for  in  the  depression 
itself  it  was  only  40 -GO  feet  in  lieight,  fdled  with  many 
lironiolia  and  cactus  clumps,  hung  with  moss  tufts  {'IVhin- 
(Isin),  and  intermingled  with  many  kinds  of  trees  which 
reached  only  an  inconsiderable  height.  Here  is  found  the 
Pan  do,  Lcite  (in  all  probal)ility  a  Ficus),  which  is  feared 
lieoanse  of  its  corrosive  milky  juice,  but  nowhere  was  seen 
the  Ijcneficent,  nourishing  milk  of  the  Palo  de  Vam,  which 
Humboldt  has  described  ;  this  milk  would  in  our  situati()n 
be  a  great  comfort.  Farther  on  we  found  the  cork-like 
Barrigudo-tree  (Bombax),  which  here  grew  to  only  a  small 
height,  many  s])ecies  of  Mimoaa,  of  Bignonia,  and  so  forth, 
and  between  them  rock  masses  and  granite  blocks.  All  this 
shows  that  one  has  gradually  ascended  from  the  wet,  dark 
region  of  the  coast  forests  to  higher  and  drier  country." 
This  dcscrii)tion  is  very  interesting,  because  it  shows  that 


252 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


here  wc  have  a  region  which  lias  not  been  so  much  affcctod 
by  decomposition  as  the  coast  belt,  and  it  shows  us  how  the 
forest   zone  narrows  down  as  Ave  go  northward. 

Beyond  the  Barra  da  Varcda  one  enters  a  catinga  wood. 
and  gradually  ascends,  the  hills  being  gently  rountled,  aiul. 
as  the  Prince  remarks,  announcing  the  ojjen  ])lains  and 
ridges  which  make  up  so  large  a  jjart  of  the  interior  of  Bra- 
zil. "  The  wood  has  in  many  places  lagoas  grown  up  witli 
swamp  reeds,  in  others  extensive  naked  jdaces  which  have 
been  burned  over  so  as  to  produce  grass  for  the  cattle.  Siieli 
places  become  covered  immediately  with  high  ferns  {Pirris 
caudata),  whose  horizontally  placed  fronds  wear  an  atiive- 
able  look.  With  the  end  of  the  wood  one  reaches  pleasant 
green  fields,  which,  despite  the  dry  climate,  appeared  to  liavf 
the  fresh  green  of  our  European  meadows." 

Going  westward  the  country  becomes  more  and  more  open, 
and  there  are  extensive  open  fiat  tracts  of  great  extent, 
covered  with  a  sparse  catinga  vegetation,  innnense  oan- 
delcl)ra-like  cactuses,  and  ant-hills,  and  diversified  by  slial- 
low  lagoas.  From  Tamburil  to  the  boundary  of  ]\Iinas 
Geraes  one  passes  through  a  monotonous  and  soniewliat 
hilly  country,  cut  through  by  deep  ravines,  and  covered  liy 
catiniia.  So  soon  as  one  has  climbed  ihe  ridges  wliieli  nni- 
formly  command  one  another,  and  throughout  are  covered 
in  the  same  manner  with  catinga  or  carrasco,  small  narrow 
fields,  grown  up  with  many  rush-like  grasses,  are  readied. 

In  some  jilaces  near  Ressaque  the  Prince  found  mica 
slates  with  stanrolides  in  single  crystals,  together  wilii 
hornblende.  This  succession  of  gneiss  and  mica  slate  cor- 
responds to  what  I  observed  on  entering  the  basin  of  the 
Jeipiitinhonha,  but  I  have  seen  no  staurotides  in  Bni/.ii. 

The  carrasco   is  a  more  or  less  thick,  usually  matted, 


PROVINCE   OF   BAHIA. 


253 


srrowtli  of  Imslics,  with  stiff,  gnarly  stems,  which  grow  to  a 
hciiiht  of  ten  or  twelve  feet,  and  this  is  the  character  of  the 
voti'L'tation  of  a  large  i)art  of  the  canipos  of  the  interior,  par- 
ticularly of  the  wide  elevated  plains. 

The  country  grows  Hatter  and  flatter  in  going  into  the  in- 
tv>'ii»r,  and  at  the  same  time  the  bushes  grow  lower  until 
the  nonpos  geracs  arc  reached,  where,  "  far  as  the  eye  can 
rcarli,  open  wooded  plains,  or  gently  rounded  hills  and 
riducs,  are  spread  out,  covered  with  dried  grass  or  scat- 
tered laishes." 

'•  In  the  valleys  which  intersect  these  wide,  naked  ridges 
and  plains,  one  fnids  the  hanks  of  the  rivers  and  brooks 
1, ordered  l)y  woods.     Here  also  single  clumps  of  bushes  arc 
loiind,  hidden  here  and  there  in  the  deep  places,  particularly 
as  one  approaches  the  borders  of  Mmas  Gcraes,  and  this 
kind  of  wood  is  in  part  one  of  the  peculiar  characteristics  of 
these  open  places.     One  often  believes  that  he  has  a  contin- 
uous iilain  before  him,  Avhen  he  comes  suddenly  upon  a  nar- 
r'-T,  steep-sided  valley,  hears  deep  below  him  the  nun-mur 
of  a  stream,  and  looks  down  upon  the  forest-trees  which,  va- 
riously colored  with  numerous  flowers,  line  its  banks.     Con- 
stant winds  prevail  here  during  the  cold  season,  with,  for 
tlic  most  part,  a  cloudy  sky,  and  in  the  dry  months  a  burn- 
ing, oppressive  heat,  whereby  the  grass  is  dried  up,  the  re- 
gion is  glowing  hot,  and  there  is  a  scarcity  of  potalde  water." 
Ill  the  winter  these  high  lands  are  quite  cool,  and  hail  not 
unfrc(iueutly  falls.    Prince  Xeu  Wied  describes  a  large  tract 
over  which  the  vegetation  was  dead  and  leafless,  and  he 
was  informed  that  it  had  been  killed  by  frost,  though  it  may 
l)e  that  the  effect  had  been  produced  by  excessive  dryness. 
To  one  accustomed  to  the  climate  of  the  coast,  that  of  these 
high  regions  is  apt  to  be  very  disagreeable.     The  Prince 


254 


GEOLOGY  AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


foiiiid  the  temperature  early  on  a  foggy  morning  14 
Reaumnr  =Go..V  Falir.,  and  at  noon  on  a  dry  sun^shiny 
day  V,^y  Reaumnr,  =  To. 87',  and  this  was  just  at  the  cml 
of  the  rainy  season,  in  February.  On  the  2:2d  January,  at 
Catole,  he  found  in  the  shade  between  two  and  thioc 
o'clock,  P.  M.,  a  temperature  of  24^^  Reaumur,  =  87.12' 
Fahr.,  and  he  states  that  it  sometimes  reached  ;!0'  Reau- 
mur, =  95.50''  Fahr.,  in  the  shade. 

These  campos  stretch  westward  to  the  Serra  das  Ahnas, 
and  southward  to  the  valley  of  the  Jecpiitinhonha,*  and  aie 
oidy  sparsely  inhabited,  principally  by  herders  of  cattli'. 
Agriculture  is  confined  to  the  bottoms  of  valleys  and  umhi 
places. 

The  Ema,  or  American  ostrich  {Rhea  Americana'),  oc(Mirs 
in  abundance  on  the  campos  of  the  basin  of  the  Pardo,  to- 
gether with  the  celebrated  scricma  {Palamcdca  cristata 
Linn.,  Dicholophns  rrisiatus  Illiger),  a  large  bird  the  size 
of  a  crane,  very  swift  of  foot,  and  noted  for  its  shi'ill  voice 
like  that  of  the  peacock,  whence  the  English  name  crested 
screamer,  sometimes  applied  to  it.f 

With  reference  to  the  climate  of  this  part  of  the  coast, 
Neu-Wied  says  that  generally  the  months  of  February, 
March,  April,  and  May  are  the  rainy  months.  The  four 
months  following  are  the  cold  season,  while  the  hottest 
weather  is  in  October,  November,  Deccml)er,  and  January. 
Our  author  snys  that  he  never  observed  a  lower  tenipcratnie 
than  13^  Reaunuu',  nor  a  much  higher  one  than  80"  Hcunnir. 

*  See  description  of  the  campos  of  the  Coiharca  da  Jequitinhonha  in  Cliap. 
III.  of  this  work. 

t  See  Eiiij.  Wfirmlnq,  SkUdn'iir/rr  af  Natiirrn  i  (lit  tropt'd-r  Brasihrn.  T.  ( am- 
posdiprnr,  Tldsslrifl  for  Pop.  Frcmst.  af  Xat.,  Tredie  Ea'iike,  Fcmto  P.iiuls, 
Tredie  lleftc,  ISGS,  p.  231.  This  is  a  very  interesting  article  on  the  lauiui  of 
the  canij)os  region. 


rROVINCE   OF   RAIIIA. 


255 


On  llie  .")tli  March,  one  of  the  hottest  days  of  the  voyage, 
Xni-Wied  obsei'ved  a  teiu|)Ci'ature  of  28.50'  Reamnur,  and 
in  the  twilight  of  the  same  day  15^  Rcaumnr,  and  an  hour 
later,  wlien  the  dew  liad  begun  to  fall,  14°  Rcaunuu",  which 
olisorvations  are  interesting  as  showinu'  the  diurnal  varieties 
(if  temperature. 

Arraial  da  Conquista,  or  Victoria,  is  the  name  of  a  little 
vilhige  lying  a  ['q\v  leagues  to  the  north  of  the  l>arra  do 
A'iireda,  and  noted  for  its  C(jtton  and  lai'ge  herds  of  cattle, 
wliicli  are  sent  to  Rahia  to  lie  sold. 

On  the  voyage  to  Bahia,  near  a  place  called  Urnbii,  lying 
lictween  the  Rios  Caxoeira  and  Contas,  X'Mi-Wied  describes 
Imioks  whose  waters  were  salt,  discolored,  and  whitish,  and 
lie  speaks  of  others  near  the  valley  of  the  Contas.  Thus 
far  a  great  j)art  of  the  countiy  between  the  Arraial  da  Con- 
iiuista  and  the  Rio  das  Contas  has  been  hilly  and  more  or 
less  wooded. 

Between  the  Arraial  da  Conquista  and  Os  Possoes  (Po(;nes) 
the  country  is  very  uneven  and  covered  with  low  woods. 
Xou-Wiod  calls  attention  to  a  very  interesting  fact  stated  by 
Humboldt,*  that  the  number  of  species  of  social  plants  in 

*  Alex.  (Ic  Ilumlioklt,  De  Dlstrilmtione  Geographica  Pl<intarum,  1817,  ])p. 
5L^;2:  — 

•  Kai-iss^imre  autcm  sunt  plantfc  sociatic  {Plantcs  soridha,  rjisrll^f/p jijhmni) 
ill  pliiiriT  :vf|ninoctiiili.  Difficilitor  ciiim,  ex  jrcncrc  'irhorum  Silvis  ( )riiioct'iisil)US 
ii'ininii  jionas,  qnippe  in  quilnis  nifij:niis  spccionnn  niiinorus  .Tquc  commixtns 
S'it.  XiMpic  in  locis  planis  ?ub  zona  torrida  N(3vi  Orhis,  plantas  sociatas  fcro 
alias  ullas  oniinicrcs  pva'tcr  Rlii/ophoram  Mansion,  Scsiiviuni  I'ortulacastnim, 
Croton  ai'j:ontcnin,  Bambnsam  Giiailuani,  atqne  propter  ea[)ita  fluvii  Aniazo- 
niimct  in  ealidis  Provineia;  Jean  de  Braeamoras,  amaMiis.-inia  noniora  Boiiguin- 
villoa  ct  Godoya  repleta.  Aii<:cntur  vcro  stirpes  catorvatim  nasccntcs  quo 
Tiia;;i-  per  Mexieannm  imperium  versus  Cancrum  proeedis,  vel  per  caenniina 
Amiinin  te  toliis,  ubi  altitudine  1800  haxapodarum  reperics  Escalloniani  niyr 
lilluidLin,  Bratliim  junipcrinam  ct  multijugas  Molinte  species." 


256 


GEOLOGY   AND   PIIYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


the  tropics  is  very  small,  and  says  that  not  unfroquciitly 
wc  find  largo  ti'acts  taken  possession  of  by  the  sanuinil)aia 
(^MeHcnsla  diclioluma  or  Ptcris  candata?)  to  the  exclusion 
of  all  other  shrnljs.  This  is  the  case  all  alon^^  the  C()a>t. 
It  is  apt  to  spring  np  in  abandoned  dry  fields,  and  liury 
them  with  a  thick  mantle  of  foliage.  I  observed  it  growing 
at  ltaba])uana,  Sao  Matheos,  and  in  mnncrous  other  j)lac('s 
on  the  coast,  where  it  was  so  abnndant  as  to  be  a  nuisance, 
and  I  have  noted  it  as  being  very  common  in  Minas.  It 
seems  to  have  the  same  habit  as  our  Ptcn's  aquilina,  wliiili 
in  the  same  way  takes  possession  of  fields  and  drives 
everything  else  out.  The  rapid  growth  of  the  samam- 
baia  in  l>razil  is  often  aided  by  fires  set  in  the  Imshes  and 
grass  over  dry  j daces,  which  dejdeto  the  flora  and  give  tlie 
fern  a  more  open  field  to  grow  in.  The  most  remarkable 
social  plants  of  Eastern  Brazil  arc  the  mangroves,  Coiio- 
carpns  and  Aviccnnia,  in  addition  to  which  and  the  Pleris 
caiidita  are  some  species  of  R/icxia,  Cecropia,  Blg-nonia, 
together  witlv  the  Ubd^Taqnarasstt,  some  grasses,  a  hanilnio, 
and  the  dwarf  palm  of  the  coast,  Guriri.  The  Piassaba  ami 
Carnahuba  })alms  woidd  also  appear  to  merit  being  included 
mider  this  head. 

Between  the  Arraial  da  Conqnista  and  Os  Possoos,  Xeu 
\yied  describes  a  locality  Avith  high,  gently  rounded  liills 
covered  with  the  samambaia,  and  he  states  that  sometimes 
such  tracts  are  l^nrned  over  so  as  to  produce  a  growth  of 
grass.  The  whole  country  here  is  exceedingly  dry,  and 
during  the  hot  season  the  vegetation  is  Avithercd  and 
scorched.  Water  then  fails,  and  cattle  die  if  not  removed. 
In  this  diT  region  is  found  a  beautiful  Bi</7ionia,  eight  to  ten 
feet  high,  with  large  bright  citron-yellow  blossoms,  and  a 
Cassia,  together  with  the  Licurl  palm,  a  species  which  I 


PROVIXCE   OF   BAIIIA. 


257 


found  growing  over  the  tabolciras  at  Alagoinlms  on   the 
IJaliia  and  Siio  Francisco  Railroad.     The  soil  is  of  a  rcd- 
(lish-yollow  color.     The  deep  valleys  are  filled  with  dense 
forest.     Everywhere  one  sees  the  ronnd  yellow  hills  of  the 
white   ant  scattered   about.      Carajjatos*  arc  exceedingly 
iiuinerous,  incrusting  twigs  so  as  to  make  them  fairly  red, 
and  worrying  the  traveller  by  day  and  night.     Between  Os 
Possoes  and   Urubii  the  country  is  of  the   same   desolate 
character.      In  this  region  many  cattle  are  pastured,  and  in 
sonic  localities  a  little  cotton  is  })lanted.     Of  the  journey 
from  Urubii  to  the  Fazenda  da  Cachoeira  Xeu-Wied  draws 
a  striking  picture  of  the  country  in  these  words  :  t    "  i  fal- 
lowed the  way  through  an  inhospitable  deserted  wilderness, 
in  which,  crowded  together,  mountain  after  mountain  rose 
behind  one  another ;  all  lay  before  us,  monotonous,  covered 
with  thick-woven  brushwood,  rough  and  wild,  and  mingled 
with  j)r()jecting  rock  masses.     Some  of  these  mountains  are 
naked  and  consist  of  variously  formed  masses  of  rock,  as  a 
g'onoral  thing  gently  rounded  above  ;  in  the  places  bare  of 
wood  the  soil  shows  itself  as  a  red-yellow  clay.     Bushes  of 
fmely-plumed  thorny  mimosas,  mingled  here  and  there  with 
iicautiful  flowering  plants,  amongst  which  I  will  mention 
only  one  splendid  plant,  a  new  species  of    Iponuva,  with 
larw,  In-illiant  fiery  blossoms,  made  on  both  sides  a  border 
to  tlie  way." 

''  The  rock  masses  of  the  strangest  forms,  often  like 
towers  or  pulpits,  standing  singly  out  above  the  ])ushes,  arc 
cvciywliere  in  these  mountains  inhabited  by  a  little  cavia," 
called  the  ^Ioc6,  —  Coelocjenys  rupestris.    "  In  these  dry  rocky 

*  Rates  snys  that  there  are  two  species  on  the  Amazonas.     See  Naturalist 
on  tlie  Amazons,  p.  173. 
t  Utise,  Vol.  II.  p.  236. 


258 


GEOLOGY    AND   PHYSICAL    GEOGRAPHY. 


woods  tlicrc  reignod  a  heat  beyond  belief;  not  a  broozo 
stirred,  and  the  rays  of  the  sun  were  reflected  from  every 
side;  only  tbc  proud  Araras  [macaws]  in  our  neigbliorlujod 
appeared  to  enjoy  it.  They  liew  screaming  altout,  Avliilo 
the  most  of  the  other  birds  took  their  siesta  on  tlie  isluiilv 
branches." 

The  mouth  of  the  river  at  llhdos  forms  a  very  good  Imr- 
bor,  and  is  entered  by  the  coasting  steamers.  Where  the 
valley  of  the  river  opens  out  into  the  sea  arc  two  isolated 
gneiss  hills,  standing  one  about  a  rpiarter  of  a  mdc  east  uf 
the  other.  The  western  of  these  hills,  once  an  island,  lias 
been  joined  to  the  bluffon  the  north  Ity  a  broad  strip  of  sand, 
on  which  is  built  the  villa  of  8ao  Jorge  dos  llh(ios.  This 
causes  the  river  to  make  an  abrupt  bend  southward.  The 
eastern  hill,  also  formerly  an  island,  has  been  joined  to  tlie 
low  lands  on  the  south  l)y  a  strip  of  sand,  which  coin]iels 
the  river  to  turn  towards  the  north,  when  it  enters  the 
sea  between  the  two  hills.  The  mouth  of  the  river  is  shal- 
low, but  is  usually  entered  without  nmch  difficult/.  The 
waves  beat  very  heavily  on  this  coast,  and  it  is  interesting  to 
sec  how  they  arc  striving  to  throw  up  a  S])it  across  the  river- 
moutli  uu  the  northern  side.  At  high  tide  the  water  flows 
through  a  channel  cut  across  the  sand-beach,  uniting  the 
eastern  island  with  the  shore;  but  the  waves  tend  to  increase 
the  height  of  this  beach,  and  the  river  is  ol)liged  to  escape 
around  the  Avestern  side  of  this  hill.  To  the  northeast  nrc 
the  reefs  Sororoca,  Itapitinga,  and  Itaipins,  Avhich  1  liave 
not  examined,  and  north  of  these  arc  the  islets  Ilha  Grande 
and  Ilha  Pequena,  distant  about  two  miles  north,  a  few  de- 
grees cast  of  the  barra. 

The  town  of  Ilh^os  is  about  as  large  as  Caravellas,  but 
is  of  much  more  importance.     The  banks  of  the  Rio  Cax- 


PROVINCE   OF   BAHIA. 


259 


noira  and  of  its  tributaries  near  lllieos  arc  tliickly  set- 
tled, and  there  are  many  lar<>c  fazendas  lor  the  t-ultiva- 
tiou  of  caciio,  sugar,  etc.,  wliicli  products  arc  exported  to 
Daliia. 

The  rocks  of  tlie  hill  on  the  western  side  of  the  harra 
consist  of  a  well-bedded  gneiss  like  that  of  Bahia,  but  much 
ilistiu-l)ed  and  broken  up.  The  ai)proximate  strike  is  north 
a  few  degrees  cast. 

A  few  miles  to  the  north  of  Ilhcos  the  little  river  Itahypc 
I'lnptics  into  the  sea.  The  banks  of  the  river  arc  largely 
settled.  The  river  itself  is  very  narrow,  but  deep,  and  alto- 
ovthcr  is  only  about  twenty-eight  miles  long.  On  the  north- 
iTii  side  is  a  little  lagoa  communicating  with  the  Itahypc 
liy  a  narrow  canal.  Neu-Wied  says  that  sea-shells  are  found 
on  the  baidcs  of  this  lake,  and  that  kettle-formed  holes,  like 
Ihosfliullowed  by  the  action  of  the  sea,  arc  to  be  seen  in  the 
rocks  l)ordering  it. 

Spix  and  Martins  found  coral  banks  in  the  lake,  show- 
ing' tliat  it  was  formerly  a  bay  which  has  been  cut  off  from 
the  sea  by  the  throwing  up  of  a  beach  across  its  mouth. 
'•  Tlu'se  l)anks  show  themselves  in  many  places  in  the  lake 
at  a  depth  of  from  six  to  twelve  feet,"  and  furnish  material 
I'oi-  the  manufacture  of  lime.  The  corals  o])served  l)y  Spix 
and  Martins  were  referred  by  them  to  the  old  species  Mad- 
rrpora  cavernosa,  hexag'ona,  and  astroitcs,  Lam.* 

On  the  sea-shore  near  the  Serra  Grande,  south  of  the  Rio 
(le  Cuutas,  Spix  and  ^lartius  found  "  l)anks,  five  to  six  feet 
liigh,()t'  a  soft,  coal-black  substance  which  soiled  the  finger 
when  pressed,  and  which,  carefully  examined,  seemed  to 
be  made  up  of  coal  and  quartz  grains."  This  appears  to  Ije 
some  recent  formation. 

*  Von  Martius,  Reise,  Band  II.  Seite  684. 


tit 


2G0 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


Fi'diu  lUiuos  iiortluviird  to  llu'  Rio  dc  Coiilas  llic  coast 
lands,  asa  licnornl  lliinu',  iifc  iihuiit  (wo  huiidi'cd  I'cct  in  height. 
and  levcd  topitcd,  with  al)riii>t,  slcu])  slopes  to  the  sea,  imd 
tlici'c  can  1)0  no  doubt  (hat  (hey  are  (ertiary.  'I'hc  a|i]i(iir. 
an(,'(;  of  (he  eoustjust  sonth  of  (lie  nioidh  of  (he  Contas  is 
I'ejtrescntetl  in  the  following;  sketch.      1  lUu  tolil  (liut  (he 


'„i^  '■f&Sl'&rf" 


iaM-fi"*^^J^?S 'P^=?-'  ^y'-J< 


r^-ifc^l-r^-*--/'—  -^ 


■%:.l»tULli«» 
VIKSV   OK  THE   COAST   SOUTH   <>I'   TIIF.    lilO   DE    fONTAS. 

soils  of  these  i)lains  arc  sandy,  l)nt  arc  in  j»art  (juitij  fertile. 
On  the  slopes  cacao  is  planted. 

The  Rio  dc  Contas,  or  Jnssiapc,  is  a  considernhle  livor. 
which,  according  to  the  Dicchudrio  Gcoir-raphico,  rises  eidit 
lea<2'nes  to  the  northwest  of  the  Villa  dc  Rio  de  Contas,  nv  at 
a  distance  of  sonic  one  hundred  miles  from  the  sea  ami  to 
the  west  of  the  Scrra  de  Pincorii.*  The  course  of  (he  main 
stream  is  almost  east-west.  It  is  navigahle  oidy  for  a  dis- 
tance of  some  four  leagues  above  its  mouth. 

7"'he  lands  on  the  southern  side  at  the  mouth  of  the  river 
are  moderately  high,  and  two  or  more  rocky  islands  ami  a 
reef  of  rocks  jiroject  northward,  so  that  the  channel  of  tlu' 
river  is  bent  toward  the  north,  as  is  the  case  at  Ilheos.  Tlicro 
arc  other  rocky  points  on  the  same  side  of  the  river,  in  which 
a  rock  like  (hat  of  Bahia  is  exposed.  The  town  is  situated 
in  a  little  cove,  just  inside  the  bar,  on  the  southern  side.  1 
found  the  rock  in  the  hill  and  point  Avest  of  the  town  to  lie 

*  According:  to  Almeida,  it  t.ikcs  its  vise  in  a  lake  forty  or  fifty  miles  north 
of  the  Villa  du  Kio  de  Contas.  Hurton  says  that  this  name  slioidd  lie  I'io 
(las  Contas.  I  follow  Cazal,  Almeida,  and  the  common  usage  of  Brazilinii 
writers. 


PROVIXCK   OF   liAIIIA. 


L"ll 


111'  the  saini'  c'liaractcr  iis  that  of  I'ahia,  and  exposed  with  a 
strike  of  X.  4')°  ]'].,  and  a  vertical  dip.  The  town  is  a  Miiall 
(,iic,  and  ol"  so  little  imiiorlaiiee  that  the  eoastiii,!^'  steamers 
laiciy  stop  there.  Jts  eoiniuere('  eoiisists  jM'iiicipally  in  t'a- 
I'inlia,  of  uhieli  something  like  ')(),()00  sacks  ai'e  expoi'ted 
I'vcrv  vear ;  oaoao,  venrlv  exportation  more  than  -l.tMiO  arro- 
Kiis:  cofli'e,  1^00  to  1,0UU  iirrolias;  together  with  a  little  rice; 
iiiiij  sugar,  and  largo  quantities  uf  woods,  espei-ially  Jurd- 
rmiila,  crr/ro,  piitiuiuiji'i,  viiihalico.  Along  the  ri\('r  alio\(! 
ilic  town  are  many  fazendas.  'J'he  pojddation  is  said  to  he 
iiiiTcasing.  On  the  opposite?  side  oi'  the  river  the  hmils 
licnlcrnig  \  ic  coast  arc  flat,  sandy  along  shore,  luit  insid(? 
they  arc  largtdy  overgrown  with  mangro\-es.  The  heach 
extends  southward  in  a  sharp  point,  which  tends  to  close  u|) 
liic  ri\i'r  oit'the  point  just  east  of  the  town  ;  hut  the  cuiavnt 
it  ojien.  The  har  is  not  dilKlcult,  and  there  is  good 
aiichoi'age  for  vessels  off  the  town.  'J'he  Iiio  de  Contas  ap- 
iicarcd  to  me  to  he  about  the  size  of  the  Mucurv.     The  ter- 


Ki'i'n.> 


tiarv 


iliil'fs  trend  off  northward  of  the  rivei',  Liraduallv  1<    \'- 


iiig  the  (;oast.  A  narrow  ehanncl  coming  I'rom  tlie  north 
ami  lliiwing  tlirough  the  low  lands,  })arallel  with  the  coast, 
empties  into  the  river  oj)i)Ositc  the  town.  I  ha\i'  seen  in 
some  ni'a/.ilian  work  —  a  llotciro,  if  I  rightly  I'ememher  — 
a  stulement  that  there  had  heen  found  on  the  hanks  of  this 
river  tlio  hones  of  some  innnense  extinct  (puulrnped.  Sj)ix 
and  Martins  also  refer  to  them.  (.See  Chapter  VIJ.  of  this 
Work.)* 

*  Caziii  s])oal\S  of  the  cxistciicp,  in  different  part  nf  Brazil,  of  tlie  liones  of 
an  iiiiiiK'n>e  extinct  animal,   wiiieli  lie  sii)jrj,a"Sts  miiilit   he   tlie   lieiieniotli.      I 


translate  a  few  scntenees  from  his  note  on  it.     He 


;in's  : 


Moi 


se  Kivu; 


to  tl 


IIS 


i|iuiiliiiii((l  ilic  name  of  iMainniotli,  and  says  that  tlic  Indians  of  North  America 
liivtciul  that  its  s]iecies  still  exists  in  the  woods  which  arc  to  the  north  of  the 
t'lvat  hikes This  beast  must  have   heen  of  ti  slow  marcii,  nut  I'l-ojier 


2G2 


GLOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAI'IIY, 


111  l.Sdi)  1  touclit'd  at  Caniiimii,  l)iit  uiilui'tuiiiitc  iy  <liiiiii;.' 
bad  wciilhcr,  so  lliut  1  wus  uiuildc;  to  sec  iiiucli.  I  havo 
never  revisilcd  \\\v.  s\nA.  I  regret  iniieh  that  1  am  uikiIiIi^ 
to  ji'ive  a  more  preeise  and  detailed  deseriptiou  of  the  imv 
on  wlueh  it  is  situated,  lor  it  is  of  great  iiitiTcst,  liotli  tn 
tiie  •j:eolo<2;ist  and  the  zoillogist,  l)eejiuse  on  the  borders  u\' 
the  hay  are  tlie  iitrhii  deposits  which  have  attracted  so  imich 
attention,  while  oil"  the  month  of  the  liay  are  e.\tensi\('  coial 
reefs.  This  hay,  and  tlie  streams  wiiieh  tlow  into  it.  Imvc 
been  most  erroneously  re[)resented  on  the  maps  and  iiiart>. 
Arrowsmith  re])resents  it  as  a  deep  wide  hay  openinu'  hniail- 
ly  to  the  sea,  ludf  as  large  as  the  Bahia  de  Todos  os  Saiihis. 
and  sown  with  little  islands;  and  Afouehez's  chart  gives  diic 
really  no  idea  of  it.  My  friend,  the  Kev.  Mr.  Nieolay  (if 
Bahia,  kindly  furnished  me  with  a  copy  of  a  recent  niap  liy 
Sr.  Jose  Xascimento,  which  is  here  sul)joined,  not  oidy  lie- 
cause  of  its  value  as  a  eoutribution  to  the  hydrography  ef 
the  coast,  but  liecause  Mr.  Nieolay  has  indicated  on  it  tlu' 
localities  where  the  turba  occurs,  as  well  as  several  other 
p(/mts  of  interest. 

The    shores  of  the  bay  and   its  arms  are  for  tlio  most 


for  a  hiintiiif,'  or  ciiniivorous  animal,  and  with  a  bdiy  so  capacious  that  only 
veyetal)lo.s  coiiitl  sutlicu  to  noiirisii  it. 

"  Amon;,^  the  many  sivclctons  wiiicli  have  been  encountered  in  the  dirt'crcnt 
proviiiees  (;f  tiio  New  World,  perhaps  iu)ne  may  help  to  form  a  better  idea  u{  tlio 
animal  than  the  skeleton  wliieli  was  discovered,  at  the  close  of  the  past  eeiitary 
in  the  Tcnn<>  da  Vill>i  (li>  Rio  dc  Ciiiitus,  by  the  persons  enjrajred  in  cleariiiL'  ""it 
a  hollow  in  the  rock  (raldilran  dt-  judni],  in  order  to  make  a  tank  for  the  eattlt. 
....  This  skeleton,  considerably  injured,  occujiied  a  spaice  of  more  tliiUi 
thirty  paces  in  lenirth  ;  the  ribs  were  a  palm  and  half  broad  ;  the  shiii-boiu's 
were  of  the  len^jth  of  a  man  of  medium  siature  ;  the  tusks  were  almost  a  '""'■" 
in  leuffth  ;  a  molar  tooth,  without  the  root,  wei;,died  four  ])ounds ;  in  nriKr 
to  remove  the  lower  jaw,  the  strenj^th  of  four  men  was  necessary." —  ' 'uro^/nijk 
Jjrazilica,  p.  G7,  note.     See  IfAirhlcic,  Pale'oiitulujie  Strati<jraphi(ine,  p.  :2')1. 


[•art  f 
sivo  1 

(Iiicis 

is  ill  ■ 
^■xtcii 
the  ti 
1  hav' 
ill  col 
when 
Icavii 
as  lie 

|.lVgl 

([uaii 
mam 
York 

ill'OUl 

aiul 
liirai 

iiloni 
depo 

0l)S0 

oceu 
left  I 

*  ^ 

lilt'Il, 
no  (li 

liki'  ! 
lll'llU: 


PROVINCE   OF   BAIIIA. 


2G3 


part  flat,  and  lartrcly  of  recent  origin,  and  there  arc  exten- 
sive mangrove  s\vani[)S  bordering  them.  From  over  this 
iv<nnn  th(?  tertiarv  cUivs  have  lieen  ahnost  cntirelv  denud(Mh 
(Iiiciss  occurs  at  the  town,  and  just  to  the  westward  is  the 
(.'(iiisiilcralde  range  of  hills  called  the  Serra  do  Condoru, 
wlii'li  is  a  continuation  northward  of  the  coast  serras.  It 
is  in  the  low  grounds  of  the  ^hirahu,  a  hroad  riverdike  arm 
extending  off  for  sonic  distance  to  the  south  of  the  i»ay,  that 
the  tiirlia  dei)osits  are  found.  The  specimens  of  turlia  which 
I  have  seen  were  of  a  very  light  material,  grayish  or  browidsh 
in  ci)h'r,  and  felty  in  texture.  The  material  hiirned  reatlily 
when  ignited  in  a  candle, affording  an  abundant  smoky  flame, 
leaving  the  mass,  however,  of  the  same  dimensions  and  form 
as  lielore.  The  material  appears  to  ))e  merely  a  nmd  im- 
pregnated with  ])itumcn ;  and  as  it  appears  to  exist  in  largo 
(juantities,  it  would  be  very  valuable  ibr  gas-making  or  the 
inuiuifacture  of  kerosene.  Prof.  Arthur  M.  Edwards  of  New 
Vnik.  the  microscopist,  informs  me  that  a  Mr.  S()uthw(n'th 
lii'Duulit  home  with  him  some  specimens  of  carbonized  wood, 
and  Prof.  Edwards*  has  some  fratrments  of  leaves  from  the 
locality,  but  they  arc  unfortunately  too  l)adly  j)reserv(Ml  for 
identification.  ^Ir.  \ic(day  personally  examined  the  turba 
deposits,  and  has  kindly  ftu'iiished  me  with  the  following 
oliservatioiis,  which  throw  some  little  light  on  the  mode  of 
oocarrenco  of  the  bituminous  layers,  though  their  age  is  still 
loft  in  ohscuritv:  — 


*  Since  tlie  above  was  written,  I  learn  that  some  of  the  tiirha  distilleil  in 
Nuu-  Ynrk  yiijileil  of  first  quality,  one  hundretl  giillons  li,i;ht,  clear  oil  to  the  ton  ; 
.■ccoiiil  qtiulity,  si'venty-tivc  j^allons.  Prof.  Edwards  says,  iu  sjjeakiiii^  of  the 
siKciuRiis  he  examined  :  "  I  consider  the  tnrha  a  sand  impreiriiated  with  hitu- 
iiiL'ii,  liut  it  has  evidently  nut  been  (le|)osited  nnder  water,  liecau-;e  it  contains 
III)  iliatoms  and  the  vtjictahle  remains  in  it  are  wood,  a  few  leaves,  and  fibres 
liki'  line  roots."  An  English  company  has  reeeutly  been  formed  to  work  this 
'It'liosit  for  the  above-mentioned  purposes. 


2G4 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


"  The  Camainii  series  docs  not  appear  in  any  way  connected 
with  that  of  Bahia  or  with  those  of  the  South,  unless,  as  has  heeu 
reported,  turba  is  found  on  the  Kio  de  Contas. 

"  This  series  may  be  designated  as  follows  :  — 

"  Jn  a  basin  of  gneissose  rocks  are  bitiuninous  schists,  sands,  ami 
marls  containing  fossils,  (fresh  water  1)  and  it  is  presumable  abuve 
that  the  turba. 

"  There  are  also  sandstones,  — principally  red  concretions,  — u^t 
apparently  connected  with  the  bituminous  strata,  Init  lying  iioaar 
the  sea,  and  possibly  outliers  of  the  J3ahia  series. 

"  The  following  section  is  from  the  pit  sunk  by  Sr.  Juao  da 
Costa,  filho  :  — 

"  20  feet  0  in.  Argillaceous  and  arenaceous  schists. 

3  "    0   "    Bituminous  clay. 

4  "    0   "    Ferruginous  and  arenaceous  sandstone. 
0     "    9    "    Schist  with  lignite. 

0  "    0    "    Bituminous  stratum. 

1  "    G   "    Micaceous  schists. 

1  "    G   "    Schist  with  lignite  and  bitumen  below. 

2  "    G   "    Schistose  strata. 

2  "  0  "  Bituminous  strata,  some  quite  pure. 

12  "  0  "  Schistose  rocks. 

15  "  0  "  Bituminous  strata. 

4.")  "  0  "  Gneissose  rocks. 


108  feet.'" 


Mr.  Nicolay  states  that  the  l)ituminous  strata  vary  nnich, 
from  pure  bitumen  to  an  arenaceous  kind  interstratiliet-l 
with  bituminous  sliales  ;  "  out  it  is  to  be  ol)servcd  tliat,  at  the 
depth  of  eighteen  feet,  two  veins  of  pcdra  molle,  an  iiupor- 
fect  turba  occur.  Tliese  are  in  many  cases  present  on  tlio 
surface,  and  the  connection  should  be  ascertained,  Imt  ex- 
cept in  this  instance  pcdra  molle  and  turba  only  ap[)eai'al>ove 


PROVIXCE   OF   BAIIIA. 


2G5 


the  limestone,  i.  c.  so  far  as  is  known,  which  forms  tlic 
liottuni  of  the  estuaries  wliich  miitc  to  form  the  Camamu 

The  town  of  Camamu  is  only  a  small  one,  but  is  of  some 
little  importance,  cxportinj^  to  Bahia  coffee,  farinlia,  rum, 
rice,  caciio,  and  woods  for  building  purposes.  S{)ix  and 
Martins  speak  of  the  occurrence  of  coral  l)aiiks  in  the  Cay  of 
Camamii,  and  they  refer  some  of  the  corals  to  the  old  La- 
inarc'ldan  species,  Madr.  Ufa,  M.  Aslroides,  and  M.  Acrojmra. 
Tlio  lllia  do  Qule{)pc  lies  just  off  the  mouth  of  the  l)ay, 
and  is  surrounded  by  coral  reefs.  The  dangerous  reef  of 
Surocosii  (^Sororocossii  ?)  lies  a  short  distance  to  the  north- 
west. Al)out  ten  miles  north  of  the  mouth  of  the  Bay  of 
Camamu  lies  the  large  island  called  Boyapeba.  Mouchez, 
ill  a  note  to  his  chart  says  that  the  pilots  represent  the 
^niir  lying  between  this  island  and  the  Bay  of  Camamu  as 
bring  full  of  corals,  probably  chapciroes.  The  island  of 
Boyapeba  is  about  five  miles  in  diameter,  moderately  high, 
with  a  few  prominent  hills,  and  separated  from  the  main- 
land l)y  a  narrow  channel.  On  the  southeastern  side  of 
this  island  is  the  dangerous  point  Castclhanos,  on  which 
the  French  ship  Beam  was  wrecked  a  few  years  ago.  The 
village  of  Boyapeba,  near  the  northern  extremity  of  the 
island,  is  noted  for  its  little  commerce  with  Bahia  in  pias- 
salia,  rice,  and  mangrove  bark  for  tanning. 

Sejiarated  from  this  island  on  the  south  by  narrow  chan- 
nels, and  from  the  mainland  by  a  channel  which  unites 
thcni  with  the  Barra  do  Rio  Una,  is  a  nnich  larger  island, 
called  Tinhare,  some  ten  or  fifteen  miles  long  and  five  or 
SIX  wide.  Wedged  in  between  these  two  islands  and  the 
mainland  is  the  little  island  Tupiassii.  The  northern  portion 
of  llio  island  of  Tinhare  appears  to  be  high;  while  the  rest, 


Vui,.  I, 


12 


266 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


together  Willi  the  island  of  Tupiassu  and  tlio  mainland  oppo- 
site, is  low  and  in  great  part  s\vanii)y.  ^loucliez  reprcMiits 
doubtlnlly  the  island  ol"  Tinhare  as  crossed  Ity  two  or  tlircc 
channels.  The  channel  west  of  this  island  is  very  iiaiiow 
bnt  deep.  Into  it  flows  from  the  west  the  Rio  Je(piit',  a 
small  stream  of  little  importance.  The  northeastern  ex- 
tremity  of  the  island  of  Tinhare  is  ])rolonged  nortliward 
into  a  sharp  promontory  called  the  Morro  dc  Sao  ?aiiln. 
which,  according  to  Dr.  Anto.  de  Lacerda,  is  composed  of 
gneiss.*  AVest  of  this  is  a  deep  l)ay  some  two  miles  wide. 
and  fonr  or  live  deep,  into  which  the  Rio  Tinliaru  enijitiis 
from  the  sonth,  and  the  Rio  Una  from  the  west.  This  liay  is 
remarkable  for  a  long  sharp  sand-spit,  the  continuatioii  of  a 
saiKi-l)each,  Avliich  projects  southeastward  into  the  iIim'J) 
curve  west  of  the  ^Morro  de  Sao  Paulo.  In  this  bay  are 
several  small  islands.  J^Iouchez's  chart  ap}»ears  to  bo  v(  rv 
inaccurate.     Prince  Ncu-Wicd,  after  leaving  Ignez,  read 


•Ilea 


a  river,  which  he  calls  the  Jcqueri(;a,,  which  he  descended 
for  some  distance,  when  he  was  arrested  and  carried  across 
the  country  to  Aldea,  a  little  place  near  Nazareth.  In  liis 
edition  of  Arrowsmith's  map  he  has  laid  down  his  I'oiite, 
Avhicli  he  represents  as  following  the  Una  instead  of  the 
Jequiricd,  which  flows  into  the  sea  some  ten  miles  north 
of  the  Una.  One  cannot  doubt  from  his  description  tliat  it 
was  the  Jerjuirit^a  which  he  descended,  and  that,  owinu'  to 
tliat  river  having  been  represented  as  emptying  into  ihc 
bay  of  the  Una,  he  laid  down  his  itinerary  incorrectly.  The 
town  of  Valencia  is  situated  at  the  mouth  of  the  Una,  and 
is  noted  for  its  large  cotton-factory,  and  its  commerce  in 
woods  and  coffee.     From  the  Una  to  the  Jequirit^a  runs  a 


Pissis  also  s.ays  that  it  is  gneiss.     Mtfin.  de  I'Listitut  de  France,  Tome  X. 


p.  357. 


oppo- 

CSC'llls 

nil',  a 
•11  cx- 
iward 
I'aiilo. 

L'll    (if 

wide, 
njitii's 
liav  is 
11  I  if  a 
(let.')) 

very 
■iclied 
}ik1('(1 

[(.'I'ljss 
11  his 
.•onto, 
•I'  the 

llDl'tll 

hat  it 
lu;  to 
)  th.e 
Tlie 
,  and 
L'O  in 
ins  a 


me  X. 


lon^' 
(list  a 


PKOVrXCE   OF   BAHIA. 


2G7 


lon^r  sniKl-l)oacli,  bcliind  wliicli  flic  lands  arc  at  no  great 
distance  moderately  high  and  hilly.  North  of  the  Jcquirii'd 
tlic  liciu'h  is  interrupted  hy  a  few  locky  ])oints. 

The  Haiiia  dc  Todos  os  .Santos,  leaving  out  tlic  islands,  is 
(I  iiuiKh'ilateral  figure,  with  unequal  sides,  as  follows  :  *  A  line 
from  ihe  Ponta  de  Sant.  Antonio  to  the  Ponta  Garcia  runs 
approximately  southwest,  and  measures  a  trifle  over  eighteen 
iiiaiinc  miles;  a  line  running  along  the  western  side  of  (he 
hay  wijuld  run  nearly  north-northeast,  and  measure  thirty- 
tliiTf  miles  ;  the  northeastern  side  of  the  figure  reprcscntino- 
tlif  width  of  the  bay,  which  is  remarkably  uniform  Ihrough- 
uut.  wutild  run  about  southeast,  length  fifteen  miles  ;  while 
tlic  other  side  of  the  figure,  bringing  us  back  to  the  point  of 
dcpai'ture,  would  1)C  ai)])roximately,  south-southwest,  sixteen 
miles.  A  large  island,  of  a  sigmoid  shai)e,  called  Itaparica, 
and  about  four  or  five  miles  wide  in  the  widest  part,  lies  in 
the  liay  with  a  general  northeast  trend,  its  axis  lying  several 
miles  to  the  west  of  that  of  the  bay,  and  its  southern  end  dis- 
tant about  two  miles  northeast  of  the  Ponta  Garcia.  About 
three  miles  northeast  of  the  Ilha  Itaparica  is  a  considerable 
island  called  the  Ilha  dos  Frades,  which  lies  just  off  a  point 
projecting  southward  from  the  head  of  the  l)ay.  This  point  is 
deeply  indented  by  numerous  little  estuaries,  and  several 
large  islands  lie  off  its  west  side.  The  Ilha  Itai)arica  and 
the  Ilha  dos  Frades  divide  the  bay  into  two  strijjs,  a  long 
and  narrow  one  to  the  west,  a  shorter  and  wider  one  to  the 
cast.  With  this  general  description  of  the  bay,  let  me  now 
enter  into  a  little  more  detail.  Between  Ponta  Garcia  and 
the  Ponta  da  Caixa  de  Pregos  of  the  Ilha  Itaparica,  the  river 
Jagnaripe  finds  an  outlet  to  the  sea,  although  its  waters  are 
free  to  enter  the  channel  Avest  of  Itaparica. 

*  These  ineasurcnients  I  take  from  the  best  maps  and  charts  in  my  posses- 
sion. 


208 


GF.OLOGY   AND   PlIYSICAL   GKOGRAPHY. 


This  so-called  rivcf  is  an  estuary,  ^vhi(■ll  jit  lli(>  moiitli  is 
some  iwo  miles  wide,  ])ul  narrows  raj)idly  down,  liein^-  „f 
Nazareth,  a  fowii  some  ten  to  (ifteen  miles  up  the  rivei-,  oulv 
a  few  hundred  I'eet  in  width.  Steamers  ascend  to  Na/aivih, 
hut  navigation  ends  a  lew  miles  ahovc  that  town.  'J'lic  ii\ii' 
rises  ahout  (il'ty  miles  west  of  Cachoeira,  and  has  a  sunth- 
eastern  course.  All  its  branches  helow  Nazareth  a|»[tc;ii'  to 
have  the  estuary  character,  opening-  broadly  into  the  ri\ri'.  | 
have  never  ascended  the  river,  andean  Iherelbre  g'i\-e  no  di'li- 
nite  information  with  respect  to  the  geological  characlcr  iiml 
agricultural  cajjabilities  of  the  country  bordering  it.  Xn/.a- 
reth  and  Jaguaripe,  a  town  about  a  league  al)ove  Die  nioiitli, 
are  noted  for  their  extensive  manufactories  of  tiles  iiml 
earthenware,  whiv^h  are  sent  to  Bahia.  ()|)posite  this  lii».i 
town  a  canal  runs  northeastward,  joining  the  Jaguaripe  \vi;li 
the  estuary  of  the  Jacoruna,  sc])arating  a  large  tract  IVoi!! 
the  mainland  called  the  llha  do  Santa  Anna. 

If  the  coast  should  rise  firtecn  or  twenty  feet,  the  islninl 
of  Itaparica  would  be  joined  to  the  mainland  at  its  suutln'in 
extremity  ;  for  at  low  tide  the  channel  now  separatinu'  ir 
from  the  mainland  at  the  junction  of  the  canal  with  t1n> 
estuary  of  the  Jaguaripe  is  only  some  six  feet  deep  at  Liw 
water,  but  it  deepens  gradually  on  going  northward.  Tl^ 
■west  side  of  the  channel  is  bordered  bv  a  line  of  islands  mile:! 
the  llhas  dc  Parajidiia,  which  extend  almost  to  the  mouth  (if 
the  Paraguassu,  It  is  interesting  to  compare  the  eastern 
exposed  side  of  Itaparica  with  its  long  stretches  of  sea-bendios 
uniting  rocky  i)oints  Avith  the  sheltered  western  side,  wliicli 
is  exceedingly  irregrdar,  and  cut  up  by  bays  and  estuaries. 
Of  the  geology  of  Itaparica  I  know  nothing,  exceiit  tliat  1 
am  informed  by  Dr.  de  Lacerda  and  ^[r.  Xicolay  that  tlio 
liigh   hills   arc   gneiss.      In   Dr.  de  Lacerda's    cabinet  at 


PROVINCK   OF   BAIIIA. 


269 


Hnliia  is  a  pcl)l)lc  from  Ttn])ai-ica  full  of  what  a|)])oar 
\o  lit'  tortiaiy  shells  ;  l)ut  it  hears  so  stronuly  llio  apix'ur- 
auce  of  a  European  foniiatioii,  tliat  I  more  lliau  sus- 
jK'ct  that  it  has  found  its  way  across  the  Atlantic  in 
liallust.*  Darwin  speaks  of  deposits  of  tertiaiy  shells,  ami 
FJie  (Ic  Beaumont  says  that  M.  Pissis  f)und  tertiary  (\o- 
jKjsits  resemhling  the  J']ur()j»ean  Dio/lassc  in  tli(^  hay  of 
l!alii!i.  I  have  seen  none,  and  it  is  singular  that,  if  they 
exist,  ^Ir.  Xicolay,  who  has  explored  the  hay  most  indus- 
triiuisiy,  should  n(jt  have  found  them.  In  all  ])rol)ahility 
luiili  Darwin  and  Pissis  mistook  (most  ])ardonahly)  the 
recent  consolidated  beaches  for  tertiary. f  Coral  hanks  exist 
alniii:-  the  shores  of  the  island,  and  the  coi-als  are  collected 
and  l)urned  lor  lime.  The  species  are  the  connnon  ones 
of  tlic  Ahrolhos  region,  though  Ileliastrtea  a})})ears  to  be 
more  abundant  than  at  Bahia. 

Tlie  Rio  Paraguassii  is  the  largest  and  most  important 
stream  that  waters  the  province  of  Bahia.  It  rises  in  the 
Sena  da  Cha|)ada,in  the  diamond  district  west  of  the  Bahia 
<lc  Todos  OS  Santos,  and,  obstructed  1)y  many  falls,  reaches 
at  last,  a  few  miles  below  the  city  of  Cachoeira,  the  head  of  an 
cstnary  which  empties  into  the  Bahia  de  Todos  os  Santos  on 
tlio  western  side  and  to  the  northwest  of  the  northern  extrem- 
ity of  the  Ilha  de  Itaparica.  Tlirough  the  kindness  of  my 
friends  Dr.  Antonio  de  Laccrda  and  Mr.  Hugh  Wilson,  I  was 


*  Ono  must  be  on  his  jrnard  on  the  coast  of  Brazil  ajj^ainst  collecting  speci- 
mens Irom  rocks  hronjiht  as  ballast  not  only  from  other  ])iirts  of  the  Brazilian 
eoi\st,  Imt  also  from  other  countries.  At  Maceio  I  saw  pahtozoic  rocks  which  I 
was  tolil  came  from  Xorth  America.  So  the  Irish  carl)oniferous  limestone 
^roii'.'ht  to  St.  John,  New  Brunswick,  finds  its  way  all  along  the  coast  of  that 
province. 

t  I  think  it  is  Darwin  who  speaks  of  tertiary  fossils  as  occurring  at  the  head 
of  the  hny.  I  know  of  no  reason  why  fossils  should  not  exist  as  the  tertiary 
rwk  of  that  locality. 


270 


GF.OLOGY    AND    PHYSICAL    GKOdnAl'IIY. 


ciialtlod  <()  nsc.'iiil  <1io  rivci',  or  I'iiihor  ostnary,  ns  fiir  ns  i],v 
cily  of  Cacliocira,  on  the  occasion  of  llic  jV/r  of  tlic  oiicii- 
Imli'  of  tlic  new  slcani  iranii'oail  Just  (lonnuonccd  liv  an  Ew'^. 
lisli  coni])any,  and  intended  to  nnite  the  city  ol'  ('aclincii;i 
with  the  \'iHa  do  ri'nl)n  on  the  Sao  Frain-iseo,  ami  the  Inl- 
lowin.u'  ol)sei'\ations  were  made  at  that  linu\  The  entiaiicc 
of  the  I'ai'ag'uassi'i  is  (|uile  naiTow,  and  hordei'jMl  \\v  lijnli 
hmds.  'Die  watei'  is  (h'c]).  Some  ol' the  liills  at  tlic  enliniicc 
may  he  the  hnn(h'ed  I'cet  hiuh.  I>hd'[s  on  the  sontlieni  .sjilr 
showeil  that  they  wcfe  eonijxtsed  ol'  hoi'i/.oidal  heds  of  a 
scjl't,  li^ht  ycdlowish  hrown  sandstone.  J  li(die\-e  this  to  lie 
uu  extension  of  the  tertiaiy  I'ormation  of  the  eijast. 

On  eiitei'inu'  tlie  naiTow  montli  tlie  riser  inuneihaldy 
widens  into  a  hdce-like  expansion,  in  wliicli  is  n  lout:',  naiinw 
ishmd.  Ilig'h  hhilTs  on  th(>  slior(>  of  the  i>hnid  and  on  llir 
IcI't  hank  of  tlie  river  opposite  show  red  sandstone  with 
Avhite  streaks,  and  a  heantirul  ohliipie  lamimdion.  Almut  a 
leagno  from  the  mouth,  just  ahove  the  Uarra  do  Rio  Caiiiii- 
ruji'ipe,  the  river  uaiTows  ahruptly,  and  is  here  more  than  nnc 
humh'od  feet  dee]).  I'he  land  on  each  side  of  the  v'ww  is 
three  to  four  hundred  feet  high,  tlat-topj)ed,  with  slec]i 
sloi)es  toward  the  river,  and  occasional  liluffs  which  slinw 
red  sandstone  in  hoi'izontal  strata,  as  heh)w.  'J1ie  soil  is 
red,  hut  thin,  and  the  veg-ctation  is  very  scanty,  eonsistini:' 
of  piassahas  and  low  hushes,  with  a  few  cocoa-palms  (  ('oms 
nucifcrd')  and  Dendes*  ( E/(Vis  Guincnisis  L.).  At  one 
place  near  the  liattery,  called  the  Forlinho,  the  sandstone 
hcds  a|)peared  to  have  a  slight  dij)  northward,  hut  tins  is 
evidently  local,  as  the  wholes  formation  is  (piitc  undisturhcd 
and  horizontal. 

*  Thi^^  jKilni,  an  African  spcoios,  pocs  by  the  name  of  Caiaiilii:  on  tlic  Aina- 
zonas.  TIic  frnit  jrivcs  an  oranirc-colored  oil,  ninch  used  in  Brazil  for  ciiliiKiry 
purposes.     It  i><  also  employed  in  tlic  manufacture  of  fine  soaps, 


PROVINCI':   OF    HAIIIA. 


271 


Above  the  fort  tlio  rivor  opcMis  out  into  anotlior  broad  cx- 
[iiinso,  and  a  'icaiiiirul  view  is  prcscnicd.  The  wliolo  country 
is  ail  ok'VJited  jdain,  with  steep  slopes  to  the  estuary  aiul  its 
liiiiiiclu'S.  I'hese  slopes  have  the  same  eliai'aetcr  as  below, 
;iii(i  lUf  covered  hirgely  l)y  piassaba-palnis.  An  occasional 
sii'iarlactory  may  be  seen  on  the  river.  From  this  lake-like 
cx|iaiisi')n  of  the  ri\-er  a  l)road  arm  extends  oil'  to  the 
siiiilliwestward  lor  some  six  miles  in  a  liroad  v.alley.  into 
llie  head  of  which  emjitii^s  the  Rio  Capanenia,  and  on  which 
is  situated  the  village  of  the  same  luime.  This  arm  is  called 
the  l!i()  de  Capanenia,  and  it  is  said  to  receive  the  waters 
111"  a  lake.  ^hiragojiMpe  is  a  jjrettily  situated  and  llourish- 
ms  villaji-e,  built  at  the  base  of  the  chapada,  at  the  Junction 
(,!'  the  Capanema  wiih  the  Paragnassu.*  The  slopes  of  the 
rliapadas  are  here  more  or  less  cultivated  with  corn.  <te., 
mid  there  are  large  groves  of  cocoa-palms  on  the  island  in 
IVuiit  of  the  town. 

Fidiu  the  northern  ])ai't  of  the  expanse  of  the  Paraguassii 
extouds  northwards  another  arm  called  the  Igu.qie.f  into 
which  a  little  river  em{)ties.  The  valley  of  the  luiia[)e  is 
liniad  and  exceedingly  fertile,  and  there  are  very  many  ex- 
tensive sugar-j)lantations  situated  in  it.|  The  tertiary  chu- 
pailas  grow  higher  as  we  ascend,  and  on  the  Iguape  they 
iimst  be  at  least  seven  hundred  feet  in  elevation.  Passing  the 
Iguapc  the  river  narrows  very  suddenly,  and  thence  to  the 
citv  of  Cachoeira  it  is  onlv  a  few  hundred  fe(,'t  wide.     More 


*  {.'iizal,  C(iro/p-<ifiii,  Tom.  II.  p.  125,  suvs  that  in  the  vicinity  is  t'ound 
iintlmimio  ami  holo-dnncn'io. 

1  Tills  nanu'  i.-  ratliLM-  uncommon,  heinf;  found  only  a  few  timos  on  the  Rnizil- 
ian  i(ia<t.  It  appears  to  be  anotlier  form  of  Yi/ont/n',  eanoc-]jath  or  elianiul,  a 
iKiiiii'  apjilicd  to  tlic  side  channels  of  tlic  Amazonas.    (See  Index.) 

}  Ca/.al  says  that  the  soils  of  the  valley  of  Iiruape  are  the  best  known  for  the 
eultiinof  cane,  hein'jof  Mack  mcissa/ieund  strong.     Cor.  Uraz.,  Tom.  II.  p.  i;.'.5. 


272 


fJF.OLOOY    AND   PHYSICAL   OKOGRAPIIY. 


proporly  spciikin«r,  the  mouth  of  the  l*iira<;nassu  la  here,  nml 
the  ii'iejiiihir  sheet  of  water  below,  to  llic  l)iiy,  Is  u  tidaj 
ostiiiuy.  At  Uie  point  where  the  river  (lows  Into  the  estuary, 
rock  shows  ItselC  In  the  river-banks,  and,  aecoi'Jin^  to  Sciilior 
Pr/X'vvodowskl,  who  aeconipanuMl  me  on  the  voyage,  is  tlic 
cordfflo  lie  ni'^^ro  rock,  like  that  of  IJahia.  The  stiikc  is 
N.  4U°K.  Dip  vertical.  The  country  bordering  the  river 
consists  of  rounded  hills,  back  of  which  are  the  clfvutcd 
ehapadas.  Bricks,  tiles,  and  pottery  are  largely  nuiuufac- 
tured  on  the  river,  from  the  clays  of  the  alluvial  river-banks. 
T]io  water  of  the  river  is  very  turbid  and  l)rownish. 

The  stream  narrows  as  we  ascend,  and  is  so  shallow  tliat 
two  of  the  little  steamers  with  a  part  of  the  excursionists 
from  JJahia  got  aground.  There  are  a  few  sugar  fazendas 
on  the  river  below  Cachoeira.  Above  Cachoeira  the  rivor 
is  obstructed  by  ftiUs  and  rocks.  The  town  of  Cachoeira, 
a  respectably  sized  village,  is  noted  more  i)articularly  ibr  its 
export  of  sugar  and  cigars. 

The  country  bordering  the  Hahia  do  Todos  os  Santos  is 
in  general  terms  very  productive,  and  it  has  long  borne  the 
name  of  tlie  "  Rcconcavoy  Sugar  is  the  principal  j)r()ilu(t. 
though  mandioca,  <tc.,  are  cultivated.  Tlic  tertiary  de- 
posits extend  across  from  the  Paraguassu  to  Sant.  Anmi'o,  a 
flourishing  city  on  the  river  Serigi,  some  three  leagues  above 
the  mouth,  according  to  my  frieiul  Dr.  Brunet,  the  Director 
of  the  Agricultural  Institute  of  Baliia.  Dr.  Brimet  informs 
mo  that  the  If  "ds  of  the  vicinity  of  Sant.  Amaro  arc  very 
fertile.    Suj."  farinha  are  the  principal  products.    ITeie 

is  situa^  .^ricultural  Instiiute  aboA'c  spoken  of.    East- 

ward tl         .tiary  beds  extend  to  the  Bahia  and  Sao  Fran- 
cisco Railroad. 

It  is  interesting  to  compare  the  Bahia  de  Todos  os  Santos 


PROVINCK   OF    BAIIIA. 


273 


witli  the  "Rahla  do  Rio  do  .Itmoiro.  The  lattor  is  also  divided 
aiiuost  into  two  jKirts  by  the  lilia  do  (Jovernador  and  tlie 
islands  to  tho  northeast ;  but  the  most  interesting^'  jiuint  's 
to  observe  the  dillereneo  in  tlie  chai'acter  of  the  rivei's  enip- 
tyiiij:  into  the  two  bays.  Those;  of  Uio  are  all  small,  and  at 
tlirir  mouths  they  arc  bordered  by  Hat  ^'rounds  and  mauLnovc 
swinnps,  owin^  to  tlie  i-apid  Imilding  out  of  the  land  ;  for 
llic  lands  aliout  the  bay  arc  mountainous,  and  the  streams, 
swollen  by  licavy  rains,  bringdown  an  Innnense  (juantity  of 
sediment  into  the  bay.  The  lands  bordei'ing  the  IJahia  de 
Todos  OS  Santos  are  high,  and  stretehes  of  sands  and  man- 
gruve  swamps  are  rare  ;  while  the  rivers,  bringing  down  less 
sc'dinient,  are  not  so  eontracted  at  their  mouths,  but  oj)cn 
out  broadly  hito  the  bay. 


12  • 


274 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGIiAPHY. 


CHAPTER   YI. 


THE   SAO   FRANCISCO   BASIN. 

The  Explorations  of  Ilalfcld,  Liais,  St.  Julin,  Allon,  Ward  Burton,  &c.  —  Gen- 
eral Slia])C  of  the  Basin.  —  Its  iinifurni  Width.  —  TIr'  Sao  Francisco  Valley 
hollowed  ont  of  a  Series  of  horizontal  Beds  of  Limestone  and  Sandstone  — 
The  Chapadas.  —  The  ;;o-'  led  "  Serra"  separatinj;-  the  Sao  Francisco  from 
tlie  Tocantins  Basin  an  iire{j:ular  Strip  or  Table-land  of  Sandstone.  —  'lln' 
Serras  of  Araripe  and  Dons  Irniaos.  —  Tablc-tojiped  Hills  in  the  V' alley  ul 
:.ie  Sao  Francisco;  Ontliersof  the  Chapadas.  —  Donhts  ahont  tiie  A';(M)ftlii' 
Sandstones  and  Limestones.  —  Limestones  of  the  Uio  das  Velhas.  —  Keiii;iiii> 
of  Ivxtinet  Qnadrnpeds  in  Brazil,  spoken  of  by  Cazal,  Spix  and  Martins  ^'^c. 
—  Chuissen's  Discoveries  in  the  Caves  at  Cnrvdo.  —  Di\  Lund's  cxhan>tiv,; 
Researches  at  La;;6a  Santa. — Caves  descriiied  ;  their  Nuniber,  Extent,  Sta- 
lactites and  Deposits  of  Bones  in  Saltpetre  Earth.  —  Immense  (iuaniitics  of 
small  Bones  brotiglit  in  by  0^\■ls,  v^ie.  —  Lar;j;'e  \nnd)erof  Fossil  Animals  ills- 
covered  by  Lnnd.  —  Former  Existence  of  Mef^atlieria,  Mylodons,  MastoddH' 
immense  Aruiatlillos  an<l  Cats,  Horses,  &c  mi  Brazil.  —  Kemains  of  a  Uacr 
of  Man  of  hi;4h  Anti(piity.  —  Ueiidiardt's  '  '  dizations.  —  The  Kio  de  SAu 
Francisco  of  the  Sixteenth  Cla.ss  amony  the  i<ivers  of  the  World,  I  iit  tliinl 
in  I\ank  in  Brazil.  —  General  Description  of  the  Stream.  —  Its  Atllueiifs, 
the  Uios  I'ani,  Paraopeba,  and  Das  Velhas.  —  The  liio  das  Velhas  alone 
capable  of  hm\<r  made  navi};able  for  Steamers.  —  The  Sao  Francisco  na\  i- 1- 
bio  with  but  few  Interru])tions  for  two  liundred  and  sixty-four  LeaLrue-  below 
the  Rio  das  \'elhas.  —  Cost  of  rcinovin;^  ()l)structions.  —  Propo'^cd  Railway 
from  Joazeiro  to  I'iranhas.  —  I'ertility  of  Low  Lands  of  Sao  Francisco  Val- 
ley. —  Liais's  Picture  of  the  Campos. 

Before  wc  take  up  the  geology  of  tlic  interior  and  wc^stoni 
portion  of  tlic  province  of  Bahia,  wliicli  latter  einl)rai'o.s  a 
considerable  part  of  the  basin  of  tlie  Sao  Francisno,  1 
propose  to  give,  in  a  few  words,  a  sketch  of  the  g(^)lt)i;y 
and  hydrograj)hy  of  the  whole  basin  ;  and  this  is  the  more 


SlO   FRANCISCO   BASIN. 


275 


iiooilod,  since  further  on  we  sluvU  luivc  to  visit  tlie  lower 
1'  the  u'reiit  river,  and  it  will  \ni  necessarv  to  consider 


ail  o 


some  (juestions  hearing'  on  its  iia\  ipition,  A'c. 

Xo  river  in  Brazil  lias  been  so  carel'ully  studied  and 
mapped  as  the  Sao  Francisco  and  its  tributary  the  Kio  das 
Vt.'lhiis.  llall'eld  exphjred  the  main  river  I'roni  the  conllu- 
ciice  ol'  the  two  streams  to  the  sea,  and  puhlisiied  a  irw  years 
ciLiD  a  niauniricent  chart  of  the  river  in  atlas  Ibrm,  aecom- 
icd  bv  a  detailed  description  of  everv  leauue.  Jfe  also 
Ic  an  estimate  of  the  cost  (jf  removing  tiie  obstacles  to 
jiiivi'iation,  so  as  to  render   it  a  great  interior  water  high- 


iiiiii 


nuu 


wiiv 


ihit. 


as 


liurton  and  Liais   have  remarked,  tlu'  rhart 


111'  ilic  river  is  rather  a  detailed  plan  than  a  scientifically 
accurate  nuip,  as  it  wants  the  meridians  and  parallels. 
M.   Eunnanuel  Liais,  the    author  of   L' JCsp/icf    Cclcsfe, 
ide  a  most   elaborate   survey  of  the   Uio  das  \'elhas  and 


111 
V 


lier 


ao 


'rancisco.     In  his   report*   on  this  survey 
di  as  rocks,  rapids,  A:( 


the 


olistriu'tioiis,  such  as  rocks,  rapiUs,  Arc,  are  sPown  in  dia- 
uraiii  and  described,  and  estimates  are  given  of  the  proba- 
lilc  exjieiise  of  removing  them.  Almost  all  the  well-known 
cNjilorei's  of  I>razil  have  visited  some  jtart  of  the  Sao  Fran- 
cisco iiasin.  Among  the  later  are  Messrs.  St.  -lohii  and 
Allen  of  the  Thayer  Expedition,  the  former  a  geologist,  the 
hitter  an  ornithologist,  l)ut  a  good  geological  observer. 
Mr.  St.  .lohn  made  an  exceedingly  careful  examination  of 
the  ^adey  of  the  Rio  das  Velhas,  and  of  the  Siio  Francisco 
as  far  as  iUc  IJarra  do  Rio  Grande,  whence  he  crosse(l  over 
into  the  basin  of  the  Farnahyba,  and  continued  his  explora- 

*  HydroLTiijiliio  dii  Ilaiit  San-Franoisco  et  <lii  Kio  <la.s  Velhas,  on  ivsiiltats 
icaimiiit  (loviiL'  li_v(ln);j;ra|)iii(|iic  (I'lui  v()_va;;(' ctlVrtiit' dans  la  iiroviiuvdc  Miiias 
laTais,  par  Kniiii.  Liais.  ()iivra;;T  jiiililit-  par  onlrc  du  jronvcrncnu'nt  imjie- 
riut  ilii  nrcMl,  ct  ai'C'()inpaq;TU'  ilc  iMfti-!  lt'V(''s  |)ar  I' 


lutciir  ;ivcc  la  collaliDraliiiii 


lie  MM.  Kdw.  Jusc  do  Muracs  et  La(li>ias  de  Souza  .Mello  Netto.      180.'). 


270 


GKOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


tioiis  across  tlio  provinces  of  Piauhy  and  Maranhao  to  the 
city  of  Sao  Luiz.  Mr.  Ht.  .Jolni  luid  the  good  fortune  to  ex- 
amine the  geohjgy  of  a  route  ah)ng"  wliicli  the  geohiglcal 
features  of  the  country,  tliough  soniewliat  monotonous,  aie 
more  cxi)osed  to  view  than  along  ahnost  any  other  tlial 
couUl  have  hccn  assigned  him.  He  did  his  work  thorough- 
ly, and  his  report  will  be  of  great  interest  ^vllcn  ])ul)lisli('(l, 
and  wo  ho])e  that  it  will  not  be  long  delayed.  Mr.  Allen, 
suffering  from  ill  health,  parted  with  his  comjjanion  ami 
went  on  to  Chique-Chique,  where  he  took  mules  ami 
crossed  the  province  of  JJahia  to  Cachoeira.  Mr.  Allen 
has  made  a  valual)lc  report  on  that  part  of  the  country 
which  he  visited  alone,  anil  he  has  been  kind  enough  to 
give  me  some  notes  on  the  geology  and  physical  gcogiajiliy 
of  the  province  of  Bahia,  which  1  shall  insert  in  a  sub.so- 
quent  chapter. 

Finally  we  have  Burton,  who  in  1SG7  cx})lorcd  the  Rio  das 
Velhas  and  Sao  Francisco  to  the  sea,  and  he  has  given  us 
an  account  of  his  journey  in  the  second  volume  of  his 
"  Highlands  of  Brazil."  This  book  is  like  a  scries  of  sharply 
drawn  i)hotograi)hs  of  nature  and  life  along  his  route.  It 
is  exceedingly  full  of  facts  of  every  kind ;  but  his  peculiar 
style,  and  wholly  unique  geological  language,  render  his 
geological  observations  in  nuiny  cases  quite  valueless. 

The  basin  of  the  .^iio  Francisco  is  a  peculiar  one.  ll  is 
long,  of  veiy  c(pial  width,  the  lower  half  making  a  strong 
curve,  the  convexity  of  which  faces  the  northwest.* 

The  head  of  the  basin,  bounded  Ity  liigh  scrras  of  cozolc 
and  older  Palaeozoic  metamorphic  rock,  narrows  rapidly  to- 

*  Liais  calls  attention  to  the  very  uniform  width  of  the  Siio  Francisco  val- 
ley, anil  says  that  it  varies  from  (ii'ty  to  eij,'lity  leagues.  See  his  pajier,  A'  /i'" 
Smi-Fiaiicitoo  an  Ihc'sil,  Bnll.  ik  la  .SV.  (If  (i('i>i/ni/iliic,  Fifth  Serie,  11.  [>•  383. 


THE   SAO   FRANCISCO   BASIN. 


277 


ward  the  south,  and  at  the  apex,  near  Ouro  Preto,  arc  some 
of  the  highest  elevations  in  Brazil.  It  is  separated  I'rom  the 
coast  river  basins  l)y  the  ridges  of  the  great  nietaniorphio 
coast  belt  and  the  line  of  chapadas  running  along  a  part 
of  its  summit,  the  whole  collectively  culled  the  Serra  do 
Esj)iuha(,o  by  Baron  von  Eschwcge.  Tliis  mctamorphic  belt 
llaUeus  down  between  the  two  provinces  of  Bahia  and  Per- 
iiaiubuco,  and  the  basin  bends  round  to  the  cast  and  crosses 
it,  ojiening  out  to  the  sea. 

Tlie  whole  length  of  the  basin  is  not  far  from  twelve  hun- 
dred miles,  and  its  greatest  width  not  more  than  two  hun- 
dred and  forty.  It  is  separated  from  the  Parana  basin  by 
mctamorphic  serras,  which  become  lower  as  one  goes  north- 
wanl,  finally  dii)ping  under  a  sheet  of  sandstone  corre- 
sponding to  that  of  the  chapadas  along  the  Scrra  do  Es- 
Iiiiilui(;o,  and  which  run  northward  to  the  province  of 
Piauliy,  forming  a  table-land,  flat  topped,  without  mountains, 
and  of  a  varying  width,  which  sends  out  broad  spurs  of 
chapadas  between  the  affluents  of  both  the  Sao  Francisco 
and  the  Tocantins  basins. 

Mr.  Ward  tells  me  that  the  valley  of  the  Siio  Francisco, 
along  the  western  flank  of  the  Grao  Mogor,  is  skirted  by 
high  chapadas  composed  of  sandstones  and  limestones,  hav- 
ing precisely  the  same  character  as  those  of  the  ojjposite 
side  of  the  valley  ;  the  chapadas  sending  out  spurs  into 
the  valley.  These  chapadas  are,  when  dry,  covered  by 
the  ordinary  campos  vegetation,  but  magnilicent  groves 
oi  Unritf  palms  arc  found  in  the  damp  shallo\\  valleys. 
Mr.  Wurd  estimates  tlic  height  of  these  elevated  plains  at 
2,;)00-;),000  feet.  They  break  down  a])ruptly  on  reach- 
ing the  Sfio  Francisco  valley.  Mr.  Ward  describes  the 
ilat-topped  liills  of  the  valley  as  outliers  of  the  sandstones 


278 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


and  limostoiics,  and  lie,  I  think,  riuliily  ascribes  their  lower 
height  1()  their  having-  siiffei-ed  denudation. 

On  ncaring  the  limits  of  Piauhy  the  hasin  reaches  tlie 
mctanKJiphic  Itelt,  and,  being  jjrevented  from  extciulin.;' 
north wai'd  })y  the  sandstone-crowned  nictamorphic  rid^ic  of 
the  Dons  Irmaos,  ])ends  round  as  above  described  and  Hows 
to  the  east.  The  chapadas  1  have  mentioned  continue  (ni. 
with  more  or  less  l)reaks,  along  the  northern  side  ol"  tli,' 
hasin  forming  the  serra  of"  Araripe.  The  n])|)er  piirt  ol'  ihc 
basin  is  occu[)ied  by  h(jrizontal  limestone  deposits,  wliik 
farther  down  are  sandstones,  shales,  Arc.  The  lowei'  Imli 
of  the  valley,  almost  to  the  sea,  is  cut  down  to  the  lioitdin 
metamorj)hic  rocks.  The  basin  was  [)rimarily  detei'niiin.il 
by  the  ancient  denudation  of  the  metamorphic  rocks  ;  l)iit  as 
it  stands  to-day  it  is  worn  in  the  great  sandstone  slicct, 
"which  I  shall  in  the  course  of  the  succeeding  clia|it(.'i> 
attemi)t  to  show  covered  the  whole  j)lateau  of  Ora/il.  it 
is  the  fashion  among  map-drawers  to  throw  in  a  ranp'  of 
moimtains  sej)arating  two  great  river  basins,  especially  it' 
there  is  known  to  be  any  high  ground  between  them,  ami 
this  mountain  range  is  carefully  drawn  along  the  sum- 
mit line  of  the  water-shed.  Brazil  is  usually  rejMcsculi'il 
as  traversed  in  all  directions  l)y  mountain  chains,  drawn 
as  if  they  were  all  alike  narrow  ridges.  But  rivers  may 
take  their  rise  on  elevated  plains,  and  the  water-slu'd  may 
be  only  nn  insignificant  bulging.  It  is  so  Avilli  the  Liivat 
divide  between  the  La  Plata  and  Amazonian  systems.  In 
the  case  of  the  Tocantins  and  Siio  Francisco  the  streams 
traverse  an  elevated  plateau  of  sandstone,  which  forms  oii 
top  a  j)lain.  The  branches  taking  their  I'ise  on  the  diviia'. 
and  flowing  in  opposite  directions,  have  cut  for  tluMiisidves 
valleys  that  widen  out  towards  their  respective  main  rivers, 


THE   SAO   FRANCISCO   BASIN. 


279 


so  lliat  tliG  liigli  lands  separating  tlio  two  l)asins,  Instead  of 
heing  a  narrow  nionntain  chain,  consist  of  an  elevated  plain 
sending  ont  jagged  sj)nrs  hotwecn  the  valleys  of  (lie  trilm- 
tarv  streams.  Outliers  of  these  chapadas  form  is(dated  tahle- 
topped  lulls  and  ridges  bordering  the  main  stream  of  the 


iU> 


F 


I'ancisco  as 


hu-  d 


own  as 


the  (ireat    Falls.*      These 


high  lands,  usually  drawn  on  maps  as  narrow  I'idges,  appear 
like  ranges  (jf  ui)heaval,  an<l  the  ma])S  are  only  calculated 
tu  mislead  the  geologist  and  })hysieal  geographer. 

The  stratigraphical  relationship  of  the  limestones  has  yet 
to  l)e  worked  out,  but  they  appear  to  underlie  the  sandstone 
of  the  Tocantins->!ao  Fran(Msco  divide,  for  both  (iardner 
anil  Ward  speak  of  them  as  ajipearing  in  the  lower  part  of 
the'  sln])es  in  descending  from  the  chapadas  into  the  Hao 
Francisco  valley. f  I  shall  leave  the  detailed  description 
of  these  deposits  to  ^Ir.  St.  John,  to  whose  ;  'port  it  prop- 
erly belongs,  and  confine  myself  ;  nly  to  a  Ivw  ])()ints  well 
determined  by  other  geologists,  and  which  1  neeil  to  state 
liere  in  order  to  complete  that  general  sketch  of  Brazilian 
logv  and  jihysical  geography  which  I  am  attempting  to 


i'eo 


o'lve 


Aeeordinu  to  Reinhardt,  the  limestone  of  the  Rio  das 
Velhas  is  dark  gray  in  color,  fuie-grained  and  ciTstalline. 
It  splits  into  thin  slabs,  and  is  so  sonorous  that  ])lates  of  it 
were  used  formerly  as  bells  to  the  churches.  Lund,  Bur- 
nieistei-,  Reinhardt,  St.  John,  and  in  fact  all  the  geologists 
who  have  examined  tlie  limestone,  testifv  that  it  is  with- 


*  I  think  tli;it  I  in!\y  sall'ly  say  that  all  tlic  <:roat  norili-south  ran^res  of  lii-h 
liuul  in  linr/.il,  iiortli  ol'  the  latitude  of  Diainaiitina,  c.\cT])t  tiic  Giao  Mo<;or, 
usually  tlcscrila'd  ami  niiippcd  as  mountain  cliains,  are  raiifjes  of  ('lia])adas  or 


luurow  |ii:itcaiis 


resiiltiii";  from  denudation. 


t  Mr.  St.  John  tells  me  that  they  underlie  tlie  sandstones  of  the  Sao  Fran- 

ciM'O  vulli'y. 


280 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


out  fossils,  and  it  lias  been  suj)posc(l,  if  I  rightly  iiiidot. 
stand  Lund,  to  be  very  old,  and  probably  Pakrozoic.  Kcin- 
liardt  would  nuike  it  Devonian.  I  see  no  good  reason  for 
coining  to  such  a  conclusion.  The  want  of  fossils  is  n<)  cri- 
terion of  the  age  of  a  formation ;  it  is  no  proof  that  a  rouk 
is  old  simply  because  it  contains  no  fossils ;  nor  would  (he 
ai)parently  metamorphosed  and  somewhat  crystalline  con- 
dition  of  the  rock  necessarily  show  that  it  was  very  ancient. 
The  metamorphism  of  rocks  is  largely  due  to  the  action 
of  water  ;  and  in  the  decomposition  of  the  rocks  of  Brazil 
we  see  what  a  powerful  agent  meteoric  water  is  in  woikinu^ 
changes  in  the  rocks.  We  know  that  the  limestones  of  I  ho 
Rio  das  Velhas  are  j)lentifully  soaked  with  water  by  the  licavv 
rains,  and  the  nietamor})hism  of  the  limestone  is  doubtless 
duo  to  this  cause.  Compact  limestones  without  fos.sil  re- 
mains are  not  by  any  means  uncommon  all  over  the  globe, 
and  they  may  be  of  any  age.  These  limestones  were  depos- 
ited at  the  head  of  the  Sao  Francisco  basin,  in  a  bay  shel- 
tered on  the  east,  south,  and  west  by  high  lands. 

In  these  limestones  are  the  celebrated  bone  caverns,  of 
which  1  will  give  some  account  before  I  describe  the  great 
river  and  its  navigation. 

It  appears  to  have  been  Cazal  who,  in  1817,  first  called 
attention  to  the  existence  of  bones  and  skeletons  of  giant 
extinct  quadrupeds  in  Brazil;*  but  similar  remains  had 
been  found  even  as  far  back  as  1G02,  or  earlier,  liy  the  first 
exi)lorers  in  Bolivia  and  on  the  Pampas.  Spix  and  Mar^ 
tins  have  described  many  localities  in  the  provinces  of 
Minas  Geraes  and  Baliia  where  mammalia)!  remains  were 
found ;  and  Eschwegc,  St.  Hilaire,  and  other  travellers 
spoke  of  the  occurrence  of  those  remains,  not  only  in  the 

*  Sec  p.  2C1. 


THE   SAO   FRANCISCO   BASIN. 


281 


deposits  in  slmllo\v  hollows  in  the  rock,  but  also  in  the 
saltiictrc  caverns  of  Minas  Ocracs  ;  but  no  one  of  these 
travellers  made  a  systematic  examination  of  any  of  the 
localities,  and  we  are  indebted  almost  entirely  to  the  dis- 
tiiiLniislied  Dane,  Dr.  P.  W.  Lund,  for  what  we  know  of 
the  fossil  fauna  of  the  bone  caverns  of  Brazil.  Lund 
had  lu'cn  travelliug  many  years  in  Brazil  in  com})any 
wilh  Ricdel,  the  l)otanist,  and  was  on  his  return  with  him 
to  Rio  when  he  accidentally  heard  of  Claussen,  another 
Dane,  who  was  residing  near  Curvelo,  in  the  valley  of  the 
Rio  dus  Velhas.  Claussen  had  been  examining  the  salt- 
petre caves  of  the  vicinity,  and  collecting  bones  from  them, 
and  V\\  Reinhardt*  tells  us  that  when  Lund  visited  him 
he  was  trying  to  study  them  out  with  the  aid  of  Buck- 
land's  Picliqucc  Diluviancc.  This  was  in  1834.  Lund  saw 
that  here  was  an  immense  field  to  ex])lore  ;  and  as  soon 
as  he  could  lionoral)ly  withdraw  from  Riedel,hc  returned  to 
Caehocira  do  Cam))o  to  examine  some  caverns  there  ;  but 
he  soon  rejoined  Claussen,  and  worked  with  him  for  some 
time.  The  two,  liowever,  seem  not  to  have  agreed  well  to- 
gether, and  in  1835  Lund  withdrew  to  Lagoa  Santa,  and  he 
has  remained  there  ever  since  devoting  his  time  to  an  ex- 
haustive examination  of  the  bone  caverns  of  the  vicinity, 
reaping,  as  we  shall  see,  a  rich  harvest  for  science.  Bur- 
ton tells  us  that  the  distinguished  geologist  is  confined 
to  Brazil  by  consumptive  tendencies,  and  is  bedridden  by 
Hienmatism. 
The  region  in  which  LagSa  Santa  is  situated  is  composed 

*  For  most  of  the  farts  in  this  account  of  Lund's  researches  in  the  hone 
caves  of  Brazil  I  am  indebted  to  the  very  intcrejitin;^  paper  of  Professor  J. 
Heinhardt,  in  Lutken's  popular  Tidsshrijl,  entitled  De  DmsiUanske  Knorjlehuhr 
Of/  rfs  i  dan  forekommende  Dyrelevnmger. 


282 


Gr:OLOGY   AND  PHYSICAL   GEOGRArilY, 


of  bods  of  liinostono  and  sluilcs,  the  limcstono  lyinir  lif- 
low  and  tln'  sliales  al)0V(',  the  wliole  Ijeing  covered  l»y  h 
})ed  of  red  cai'tli,  which  Ileinhardt  describes  as  resuhiiii: 
simply  from  the  decomposition  of  tlie  shales,  bnt  wliidi 
Lund,  if  1  I'i.uhtly  nndei  stand  him,  Ixdieves  to  be  thr 
same  red  chiy  wiiich  covers  the  whole  country,  and  wliieli 
Profi'ssor  Agassi/  and  1  would  refer  to  the  drift.  TIkm' 
beds  are,  as  already  remarked,  horizontal,  and  aie  tra\crsi'(| 
by  narrow,  often  ramifying  channels,  caused  by  the  widening: 
of  the  joints  of  the  limestone  by  the  jtenetration  of  siirt'u'v 
waters  which  sometimes  form  therein  snl)terranean  sticain^; 
for  in  the  limestone  region  the  streams  sometimes  (lisii|i|i('iir 
and  pursue  an  nnderground  course,  often  Ibr  a  long  distaiiic. 
Professor  Reinhai'dt  gives  a  ground-[ilan  of  the  ])rin('i|i;il 
ramifications  of  one  of  the  most  noted  caverns,  callcfj  die 
Lapa  A'ermelha,  situated  about  a  mile  from  Lag.''ia  S;iiit;i. 
and  this  jjlan  1  have  reproduced    below.*     According  to 


finOUND    VIEW   OF   TTIF    LAl'A    \K|{.MF.1.1 


*  It  was  drawn  by  Lund's  former  assistant,  the  late  Tctcr  Andreas  Briimlt, 
and  frivcs  only  tlio  larircr  {galleries  of  the  cavern.  Besides  these,  there  are  in- 
niimeral)lc  smaller  ones,  some  of  wliieii  are  only  mere  cracks  where  the  joints 
have  been  widened  by  the  water. 


THE   SAO   FRANCISCO   T.ASIN. 


288 


Reiiiliurdt,  tins  c.avorn  extends  over  two  tlioiismid  feci  iiilo 
till'  iDi'k,  u'rowinu'  iian'owiM-  and  iiarrowei',  until  it  lieconios 
Miilv  ;i  nn'i'e  eaiuil.  The  tloors  are  usually  horizontal.  Sonie- 
tiiui's  tJK'  caverns  ar(!  only  narrow  eraeks,  at  others  they  arc 
uiilf  ari'lit'd  galleries,  which  not  inlVe([uently  ojicn  into  large 
halls.  The  walls  and  roof  are  smooth  and  without  sharp 
iitriK'i's.  Ii(.'inhartlt  is  inclined  to  believe  that  the  excavation 
(if  the  caverns  has  been  jiartially  ilue  to  the  surface  waters, 
uiiicli  have  in  soaking  through  the  rock  dissolved  away  the 
^lulacc  of  the  walls.  That  this  lias  ])een  the  case  to  a  con- 
sidcraMc  extent  is  i)r()ved,  as  Rcinhanlt  has  reniarke(|,  by 
ihi'  projection  (roni  the  smooth  hmest(jne  wall  of"  very  thin 
slu'fts  of  clav,  which  would  certainly  have  been  worn  awav 
if  the  wliole  hollowing  out  had  been  perlbrnied  by  running 
wait'i'.  ()n('  thing  seems  ([uite  certain,  that  these  caverns 
wtTC  excavated  before  the  valleys  of  the  region  in  which  they 
OL'Cur.  The  roof  and  sides  of  the  caves  are  often  covered 
ly  very  large  and  beautiful  stalactites  of  a  great  variety 
(4'  funus.  A  stalagmitic  crust  sometimes  covers  the  earthen 
ll'Mr.  and  in  some  caves  there  are  large  pillars.  These 
stila-'tiies.  Ibrnied  by  the  exceedingly  slow  deposition  of  cal- 
uareeus  matter  by  the  water  trickling  through  the  rock, 
siiu'o  the  time  when  the  clay  of  the  floor  was  deposited, 
lioar  SDuic  testimony  as  to  the  great  age  of  the  bones  therein 

liUl'icil. 

The  earth  covering  the  floor  is  a  yellosvish-rod  clay, 
wliirli  is,  according  to  Lund,  like  the  superficial  soil  of 
till'  cnuntrv.  All  authors  describe  it  in  verv  nnich  the 
same  way.  It  is  however  very  clear,  from  its  motle  of 
ooeurrcnce,  that  it  is  not  drift,  and  that  it  is  a  deposit  in- 
troduced into  the  caves  by  the  action  of  the  surface  waters ; 
I'ut  precisely  how  may  be  a  question.     The  earth  often  con- 


284 


GKOLOOY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOCnArilY. 


taiiia  frnj^moiits  of  quartz  and  oflior  rocks.  Roinliardt  is 
of  the  opiiiiuii  that  it  has  been  introiluced  from  aliuvc  l,v 
the  water  (lowing  into  the  caves  through  the  overlying  nil 
earth  and  deconijjoscd  slialcs.  It  appears,  in  some  cases. 
to  have  t)nce  fdled  the  caves  from  floor  to  I'oof.  and  to  Imw 
been  subse(iuently  more  or  less  comi>lctcly  wasluwl  our, 
This  red  earth  is  strongly  impregnated  with  saltpetre,  ami 
its  extraction  is  so  prolital)le,  that  tlic  IJrazilians  lime 
removed  it  entirely  from  many  of  the  caves.*  Kcinliaid! 
says  that  a  small  cartful  sometimes  produces  as  nnirh  us 
two  stones,  or  an  arrobn,  of  the  salt.  JJones  of  extinct  ani- 
mals occur  buried  in  this  clay  hi  almost  all  the  caverns,  Imt 
in  such  small  quantities,  in  the  majority  of  them,  that  tliov 
do  Jiot  reward  the  pains  of  the  collector.  Lund  told  Diir- 
meistcr  that  he  had  examined  at  least  one  thousand  caves ;  out 
of  these  only  sixty  contained  l)oncs  in  any  quantity,  and  Imt 
half  that  number  really  paid  for  working.  The  mnnlicr  (if 
caves  is  astonishing,  and  Burmeister  tells  us  that  almost 
every  bank  has  its  cavern.  They  are  not  confined  to  tln' 
immediate  vicinity  of  Lag^a  Santa,  but  are  found  in  great 
imml)ers  throughout  the  limestone  region.  The  skeletons 
found  in  them  are  usually  disarticulated.  The  bones  aie 
often  much  broken  and  almost  invariably  scattered  about, 
so  that  the  discoveiy  of  an  entire  skeleton  is  hardly  to  lie 
thouglit  of.  Besides  this,  the  earth  in  which  the  boiios 
occur  is  much  cemented  together,  and  has  to  be  broken  iij) 
to  allow  of  tlicir  extraction.  The  bones  are  not  all  of  tlh' 
same  age,  and  a  large  proportion  of  those  in  some  caves 
belong  to  now  existing  animals.  But  in  other  caverns 
tliere  are  found  remains  of  extinct  animals  of  high  an- 
tiquity. 

*'  iSec  note  on  saltpetre,  near  end  of  Chapter  VII. 


TIIK   SAO   FCANCISCO   BASIN. 


oo-. 


Ponio  of  tlio  caves  contain  ininionso  (|uantitios  of  snuill 
limu's  lK'loniLi'in'2,'  to  bat.s  and  snuill  iininiiils  of  existing-  spe- 
cies. Near  Cax(jt'ira  do  Canipo  i.s  a  cave  about  120  feet 
long,  ;50  to  40  feet  liigh,  and  »!  to  1»  feet  hroad.  Over  a  jiart 
oftlic  bottom  lay  quite  a  thick  lied  of  earth  fdlcd  with  small 
lidiirs.  liimd  can-ied  out  half  a  cubic  foot  of  (his  earth, 
;iii(l  counteil  all  the  half-underjaws  he  found  in  it.  Of  mumU 
opossums  (^piiiiiJi'rotlcr^  there  were  400.  and  about  2.000  of 
(lilTcivnt  kinds  of  mice,  l)esidcs  bats,  jxii-cupines  { i)i<i-rollrr), 
1111(1  small  birds.  Another  interestinj^-  instance  is  related  by 
1^'iiiliardt.  Lund  had  the  whole  of  the  clay  broiidit  from 
a  ni\e  at  the  fazeiula  of  Kscravania,  which  was  only  24  feet 
(l('C]i.  This  earth  fdled  (),5r)2  firkins.  Lund  (let(>rmined 
:h('  number  of  half-underjaws  found  in  a  certain  mcasui'O, 
and  calculated  that  in  the  wlude  mass  there  were  the 
roninins  of  not  less  than  G,881,;j00  individuals  of  cavias, 
opossums,  porcupines,  and  mice  !  Beside  these  there  were 
immense  quantities  of  bones  of  small  liirds,  lizards,  frou's, 
A'o.  And  all  these  bones  had  been  brought  into  the  cave 
liy  owls  !  Now  owls  are  unsocial  birds,  and  wi>  cannot 
resist  the  conclusion  of  Reinhardt,  that  the  deposit  must 
have  been  gathering  for  many  thousands  of  years.  "While 
these  liones  lielong  to  the  present  geological  epoch,  those 
I)uried  in  the  red  clay  below  the  stalactite  accmnulations 
Ijcloiig  to  a  more  ancient  time,  and  are  for  tlic  greater  part 
of  extinct  forms;  and  it  is  from  this  source  that  the  l)unes 
of  the  Megatherium  and  other  giant  animals  arc  derived. 

Of  these  animals  there  have  lieen  discovered  by  ^Messrs. 
Lund  and  Claussen  115  species  of  mannnals,  belonging  to 
58  dilTcrent  genera,  distributed  as  follows  :  —  * 


*  Sec  D'Arcliiac,  Gt^laj'ie  et  Pale'ontolof/te,  p.  722,  from  which  the  tatile  on 

till-  iKxt  iia-c  is  tiikcn. 


28G 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   CiKOGILMMIV. 


(Jiiailniiiiiuia 
Clifiroptt'i'ii       . 
Curuivora 
Ilddontia 
Edentata 
I'liciiydcrmata  . 
Kiiiiiinantia  . 
Marsujiialia 


Ooncra 

Ppcclcs 

4 

0 

3 

7 

9 

18 

15 

32 

13 

2S 

9 

10 

i 

I 

7 

58 


With  lioiios  of  extinct  animals  occur  tlioso  of  now  liviiin' 
species,  ,'is,  lor  instance,  Ccrriis  rufiis,  C('n'}(s  sinipUruvi'- 
»i/.s',  Scinnis  a'shuifis,  J'Jc/iiinj/s  Cdijrniwnsiit,  3L/niirci>/ili(i'^-(i 
tcfr(id(ir///I(i,  Lr/)iis  J)r<tsiliftisis,  Friis  conco/or,  iind  Frlis 
mifis*  Anionu;  tlio  extinct  (inatlrnpeds  may  Ito  nuiitidiinl 
the  ^rast()(h)n,  wliose  remains  have  hccn  only  rarely  ii  uml 
in  caverns,  lint  more  often  in  pits  and  holes.  There  wore 
hones  of  species  of  ^facranchenia,  Toxodon,  Chlaniydotli.'- 
rinm,  and  of  the  «>'iu-antlc  Glyptodon  (IIo[)lophorus).  Myln- 
don,  and  Mejratherinni.  Among  the  carnivora  were  wildcats 
and  Jau'uars,  and  a  species  of  Smilodon  (»S.  tn'oi^'triis).— 
an  immense  cat-like  animal  with  enormous  knife-lii<e  ciuiinc 
teeth  in  the  ujipcr  jaw,  allicMl  to  the  fossil  Euro])ean  species. 
Of  monkeys  Lund  found  hut  few,  and  they  helonuvil  to  the 
genera  Callithrix,  Ilapalc,  Atcles,  nnd  I'rotojMthecus,  llic 
latter  heing  an  extinct  genus.  In  six  or  seven  of  the  holes 
Lund  found  stone  im])lcments  and  remains  of  man  so  linried 
with  the  remains  of  the  extinct  fauna,  as  to  leave  no  doii'it 
that  man  was  contemporaneous  with  it  in  Brazil  as  in  Ln- 
ropc.      In  the  Sumidouro  cavern  they  were  found  mingled 

*  Keinhnnlt,  nj).  cit.,  p.  315. 


SSOB 


THE  SAO   FRANCISCO  ISASIN. 


w.  h  l)oncfl  of  tlio  oxtinct  cavern  ja,L!;uiii'  (  FcJis  p/'ofopanfhcr) 
ail  iimncnsc  CapiUara  { IIijilrorlKcnoi  sulcidens),  toiicihor 
with  rcmaiiis  of  llamas  and  hoi-sos,  which  last  cei'taiiily 
cxislcil  ill  IJrazil,  as  in  North  Aiiu'rica,  lonii;  heforo  the 
(•iiiii|iicst.  Acconiing  to  Rciiihai'dt,  the  race  of  men  whose 
iciuaius  Lund  has  found  appear  to  have  been  well  built,  liut 
.slender.  The  same  writer  states  that  a  skull  he  examined 
was  dolichoeephidic  and  somewhat  progna  lions.  It  was  of 
iiR'dium  size  and  ridged  v/ith  a  very  prominent  checklionc, 
;;  sniidl  forehead,  and  eyes  wide  apart.  The  walls  of  the 
.skull  were  extraordinarily  thick. 

i'u'iidiardt  *  has  come  to  some  interesting  conclusions  with 
ret'ereuce  to  the  history  of  the  cave  fauna,  and  I  tran.slate 
tlieni  in  full.     'J'hey  are  :  — 

'•  1.  That  Brazil,  in  the  j)Ost-])liocene  time,  was  inhal)ited 
Ity  a  very  rich  mannnalian  lauua,  of  which  the  jtresent  may 
111'  said  to  l)e  a  fraction  or  stunted  remainder,  since  many 
genera,  nay,  even  large  systematic  groups,  such  as  families 
and  suliorders,  have  disapi)eared,  and  only  very  few  have 
eonie  down  to  our  day. 

••  L*.  That  the  Brazilian  mammalian  fauna,  in  the  whole 
Iiost-plioeene  time,  had  the  same  peculiar  stamp  which  in 
tlie  present  distinguishes  the  South  American  fauna  in 
comparison  with  that  of  the  Old  World,  while  the  extinct 
gcnora  belong  to  families  and  grou))S  which  still  to-day  i)ar- 
ticularlv  characterize  South  America.  Only  two  of  these 
genera,  one  extinct,  the  Mastodon,  the  other  still  existing, 
the  horse,  belong  to  families  which  are  entirely  eonllned  to 
the  Eastern  hemisphere,  and  form  excc])tions  to  the  rule. 

*'  •').  That  the  mammalian  orders  were  far  from  being 
richer  in  genera  formerly  than  now.     The  Ruminants,  Pa- 

*  Liitken's  Tidsshij},  3'^'"  K.,  4'''  Bind,  4"  Ileftp,  p.  351. 


288 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEO<;RAriIY. 


cliydcrms,  Elephants,  and  the  Carnivora  have  snfTered  the 
greatest  loss.  Sonic  orders,  as  the  Cheiroptera  and  .Mmi- 
kcys,  nnmber  perhaj)S  to-day  more  genera  than  i'ormoilv. 

"  4.  That  in  Sonth  America  the  post-pliocene  maninuiliiui 
(iiima  was  more  distinct  from  the  present  fauna,  and  was 
more  especially  rich  in  peculiar  and  now  extinct  gencia  ilmn 
was  the  case  with  the  corresponding  fauna  in  the  Old  Wdild, 

"  5.  That  the  poverty  in  large  animals,  one  may  almost  sav 
the  dwarfish  character,  which  in  our  day  the  South  Amciicaii 
mammalian  fauna,  in  comparison  with  the  mamnuds  ol'  tlir 
Eastern  hemisphere,  was  far  from  obtaining,  or  rather  diil 
not  obtain  at  all  in  the  prehistoric  fauna.  The  post-iAiocciir 
Mastodons,  Macrauchenia^,  and  Toxodons,  those  giant  ainiii- 
dillos  and  sloths,  could  well  com])ete  with  the  EU']iliiiiits. 
Rhinoceroses,  and  Hippopotami  which  at  the  samo  liiur 
lived  in  Europe." 

Liais  shows  that  the  Rio  de  "Sao  Francisco  is,  so  far  ii> 
length  is  concerned,  to  be  counted  as  belonging  to  the  mx- 
teenth  *  class  among  the  rivers  of  the  world,  since  its  U'liiiili 
is  about  2,1)00  kilometres,  or  a  little  more  than  1,802  luilis. 
and  ho  tells  us  that  in  Europe  there  is  only  one  Idiiiin- 
river,  namely,  the  Volga.  In  Amei'ica  it  is  surjiasscd  liv 
only  the  Amazonas,  the  ^Hssissijtpi,  the  combin(Ml  rai'iii;! 
and  La  Plata,  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  the  ]\IcKenzio.  while 
hi  South  America  it  occujtios  the  third  rank.  The  Sao 
Francisco  takes  its  source  in  the  highlands  Ijctwecn  hit.  -" 
and  21°  S.,  and  flows  almost  due  north  to  its  confluence  with 
the  Rio  das  A\dhas,  in  lat.  17°  11'  'A"  S.,  and  long.  1'  4:)' 
35"  west  of  Rio.  It  receives  two  consideralile  allluciits 
on  the  right  liank  before  reaching  the  Rio  das  Velhas.— 
the  Pard,  which  unites  with   it  in  al)Out  lat.  10^  10'  ^., 


*  Burton  says  seventeenth  or  ciyhtecutli. 


THE   SAO   FRANCISCO   BASIN. 


280 


and  ilio  Paraopcba,  a  much  larger  stream,  vhicli  enters  in 
a'wut  18°  4U'  S.  Both  of  tliese  streams  rise  in  the  same 
higlilands  with  the  Hito  Francisco,  and  flow  northward, 
iiiiHning  toward  the  west,  entering  tlie  main  stream  very 
oliliiiuely.  The  Rio  das  Velhas  is  the  main  branch  of  the 
Siio  Francisco.  It  takes  its  source  in  the  Serra  da  Mae 
dus  ll(jniens,  near  Ouro  Preto,  and  runs  almost  parallel  to 
ilio  Sao  Francisco,  from  which  it  is  sei)arated  l)y  a  little 
Jiaiii  of  limestone  hills  called  the  Seri'a  do  Espirito 
Saiito.  IJetween  Sahara  and  its  mouth  the  ri\er  has  to 
di'i^i'cnd  nearly  208  metres,  l)ut  it  makes  so  many  turns 
that  tlic  descent  })er  metre  is  very  nuich  lessened,  not  only 
(linmgh  the  increased  distance,  but  through  the  friction  of 
the  river  against  its  banks.  Liais  makes  the  descent  of  the 
liver  (l.:»lt4"'  per  kilometre,  while  the  velocity  of  the  current 
varies  IVoni  O.oO'"  to  1'".  The  river  is  some  80'"  in  width, 
and,  were  a  few  ol)stacles  removed,  it  would  Ije  navigable  l)y 
>teaiu  from  its  mouth  to  Sahara,  120  leagues.  To  remove 
these  olistacles  in  the  way  of  navigation,  Liais  calculated  that 
an  expenditure  of  £  2(!0,000  would  be  rc([uired.  Dnrton 
thill ks  that  it  could  be  done  for  £  ;V),000.  The  Rio  das 
Velhas  th)ws  in  a  narrow  valley,  cut  through  the  limestone, 
and  liordered  liy  bluffs  like  an  lowan  stream;  and  Liais's 
map  shows  it  doubling  shar})ly  about  narrow  ridges,  some- 
times isolated,  at  other  times  having  the  character  of  spurs 
til  the  main  line  of  blutTs.  Here  and  there  older  rocks  form 
hi-iji  ridges  and  peaks,  but  these  are  rare.  Among  these 
is  the  Serra  da  Piedadc,  eastward  of  Sahara,  —  a  mass  com- 
posed itrineipally  of  h'on  ore.  It  is  1,774  metres  in  height.* 
(Ihu'il.) 


*  Fiir  a  frrapliic  account  of  a  visit  to  the  Picdade,  sec  Hcrr  Eu}f.  Warming's 
En  Vi{i},u,i  til  Brasiliens  D},rge,  Liitken's  TiJsakrijl,  &c.,  1'"  Bind,  1"«  Ilcfte. 
VOL.    1.  13  S 


290 


GEOLOGY   AND   I'lIYSICAL   GKOGRArHV, 


The  low  lands  bordering  the  Uio  das  Vclhas  are  alluvial. 
rich,  healthy,  and  .suital)lc  i'or  cultivation  with  tlie  iilnu-li. 
The  conntry  hack  from  the  river  is  wavy  canijxjs  laud,  jh 
only  for  grazing. 

On  the  main  >ao  Francisco  also,  and  its  affluents,  tluic 
is  much  valuable  land.  The  two  rivers  are  (|uiti'  wvH 
settled,  and  from  one  end  to  the  other  there  is  seen  a  siio 
cession  of  I'azendas,  hamlets,  and  not  a  few  cons^ideraldc 
towns. 

Liais  has  drawn  a  beautiful  j)icture  of  the  scenciy  of  the 
camjios  and  of  the  Rio  das  \'elhas,  aiid  rather  than  spoil  it 
i)y  a  translation,  1  beg  the  reader  to  allow  me  to  give  it  in 
his  own  words  :  *  — 

''La  presence  d'lm  dpais  tajjis  de  graminces  sur  toutc  la 
snrface  du  sol  donne,  an  premier  altord,  I'idee  d'une  giaiidr 
uniformite  d'asj)ect.  Cependant  il  n'en  est  pas  ainsi,  el  Irs 
paysages  des  Campos  sont  des  ])lus  varies.  Des  botniucts 
d'arbres  dans  les(piels  les  feuillages  Ics  ])lus  divers  s'iillicut 
aux  fleurs  tie  toutes  coulcurs  ])ortecs  ])ar  les  guirlandcs  des 
liancs  ou  j)ar  de  superlies  orchidces  on  bromdliaci't's  parii- 
sites,  rompeut  la  monotonie  du  tapis  de  verdure,  et  rmi  h' 
croirait  dans  un  i»arc  admirablement  cnltive.  D'autrcs  I'nis. 
sur  le  l)ord  de  |)etits  ruisseaux,  eroissent  des  gi-oujics  di' 
gigantes(pies  ^laui-itia  vinifera,  palmi(M-s  ])recieux  di'  cos 
regions.  L(HU'  tronc  dleve,  siu'montc  d'un  magnifKiue  |ar;i- 
sol  fornid  par  do  vastcs  feuilles  en  (jventail.  produit  uu  eliii 
des  plus  jdttoresfpies,  lorsquc  surtont  une  innnensc  piaiii'' 
est  }»arsemee  (;a  et  1<\  de  ces  vdgctanx  gracieux.  D'autn  s 
Ibis,  et  CO  fait  s'observe  surtont  dans  les  regions  les  plus 
sc'ches,  des  arbnstes  torlueux  convrent  tout  le  teri'iiiii,  et 
dans  ces  parties  des  Campos  se  font  remanpier  les  hcUos 

♦  Bull,  lie  la  Soc.  Ci'tx].,  5  SiTic,  XI.  pp.  390,  397. 


THE   SAO   FRANCISCO   RASIX. 


291 


llcni'P  (los  Car"i()c;ir,  dcs  CoclilDsiierniiiin,  des  Vocliysi;;. 
Kiitlii,  soiivcut,  au  luilirii  d'unc  vastc  plaiiic,  on  voit  siiruir 
mil.'  (Ic  oes  c'lU'ieiises  cliaines  dc  luoiitaji'iies  dv  urrs  roiiuc- 
atre  oil  verdali'C,  a  .sonmict  euiipu  en  lalilc,  et  si  ahondaidos 
lis  tont  lo  Di'i'sil,  ou  ^I.  do  Castclnau  Ics  a  (k'ja  sii^iiaU'cs. 


<ia 


Lcs  llancs  ai'idos  de  ces  cullincs.  paiiailiMucnt  aliu'nc'i's  ct 
,[ui  sc  j)rolongent  sur  plusicnrs  Tnjucs  de  longueur  en  uar- 
ihiiit  le  meme  niveau  et  i)reseutant  Tasjieet  iTun  toit,  soiit 
loiivcils  ]iar  des  Mclocactus  et  jiar  de  nia,i:niriiiues  Kiel- 
iiii'vcra.  (lout  les  urandes  fleurs  i-oses  rappellent  eelles  des 
taiiu'lias.  L()i's([n'on  luonte  sur  ecs  collines.  <\v.\  parfois 
iittciiinent  Jus(|u'a  oOO  metres  au  dessns  du  inveau  de  la 
iv'jioii  envii'onnante,  un  admirable  |)anorania  se  deroide 
sdus  les  veux  du  spcetateur.  .Je  me  J'appelle  en  partieulier 
1111  iiKiuiiirKjue  tableau  de  ee  ti-enre  (pie  j'ai  aperrii  en  <2ravis- 
Miiit  Irs  (lanes  de  la  sena  de  Curumataliy.  Le  regard  eni- 
lii.issait  toiite  la  lar.ucnr  de  la  vallec  du  Kio  das  Vellias. 
>iiii  t'oiid  ol'f'rait  Tapj-arenee  (Tune  inunense  plaine,  d'ori  oii 
voviiit  soitii'  eoninje  des  ilols  les  serras  dii  I'arauna,  de 
Avres,  da  Ciarca  et  du  Bu^ndo,      lia  riviere,  aceoiu- 


l)ll('110S- 


jiii'iiice  sur  ses  Ucux  rives  d  uii  cordon  de  urands  arhres, 
ilcssiiKiit  sou  cour  au  fond  de  la  vallee  jiar  une  liiine 
trunc  Ncrdure  IVaiclie  (pii  traneliait  sur  la  teinte  roiiucatre 
•K's  lirainiiiees  desseeliees  ct  eelairees  par  les  I'enx  du  soleil 
i'Miicli:int.  Do  belles  teint«>s  violettes  couvraieiit  Irs  jianes 
'Il's  inoiilim'ues  rapprocliers,  et  dans  le  loinlain,  a  une 
t'lKiiine  dista!iee,  une  elialne  <le  moutaiii'nes  lib'U  ]m\v  se 
iiiniitiiiit  a  riiorizou.  C'etait  la  serra  da  Mata  da  Corda 
vv  ses  (irnnes  dioritiipies,  (jiii  limite  a  I'ouest  le  bassin  dii 


av 


iii-F 


ruiiciseo. 


*  A  similar  panorama  is  to  he  seen  frum  the  edixe  of  the  chapailas  lionleriii; 
till'  C:ilhiiii-Arassiiahv  vallev. 


292 


GEOLOr.Y   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRArilV. 


The  upper  Uio  dc  Sao  Francisco  flows  with  a  more  diroct 
course,  and  its  current  is  conscijucntly  more  swift  than  tliat 
ol'  the  Uio  das  N'elhas.  It  is  als(j  much  impedetl  liy  rajii^l^ 
and  falls.*  Notwithstanding  tliat  its  general  level  is  hiulnr 
than  that  of  the  Rio  das  Velhas,  its  lianlcs  are  vciy  un- 
healthv,  and  terrililc  fevers,  called  carnadciras,  fnjm  tiun 
to  time  drive  away  the  pojiulation  from  the  vicinity,  sn 
that  Nature  has  made  the  Rio  das  Velhas  more  (it  tn 
sustain  a  poi)ulation  and  he  a  water  highway  than  tin 
rpper  Sao  Francisco.  From  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  ila^ 
Velhas  the  Sao  Francisco  would  he  navigalde  for  steam- 
boats, with  SOUK?  interru))tions  on  account  of  oltstructinib 
which  might  he  removed,  as  far  down  as  the  Villa  da  l!<"a 
A'ista,  a  distance  of  ahout  204  leagues.  Fnmi  that  i»oint  tn 
the  Porto  this  Piranhas,  a  little  over  70  leagues,  the  riwr 
is  not  navigahlc.  From  the  Porto  to  the  sea  steamers  al- 
ready i»ly.  To  remove  the  obstructions  from  the  main  livci'. 
and  make  it  navigable  for  steamers,  Mr.  Halfeld  estimates 
the  jirobable  cost  at  about  £108,1)00.  A  canal  has  htrii 
projjosed  to  unite  IJda  Vista  and  Porto  das  Piranhas  I  Tlii> 
is  certainly  not  advisable  when  a  railway  could  be  cdii- 
structeil  at  vastly  less  cost.  Burton  estimates  that  an  cx- 
j)enditure  of  £  20-),000  would  be  sulhcient  to  ojien  l!if 
Itio  das  \'elhas  and  Sao  Francisco,  and  build  a  i-ailwav 
around  the  obstructions  of  the  Paulo  Alfonso  to  the  VmU) 
das  Piranhas. 

The  opening  of  steam  navigation  in  1807  below  Porto 
das  I'iranhas  has  given  an  innnensc  impetus  to  the  trade  of 
the  whole  country  adjacent  to  the  Lower  Sao  Francisco,  ami 
Ihuton  savs  that  its  effects  arc  visilde  even  in  the  nei<ih'ioi- 


*  The  worst  of  these  is  a  series  of  rapids  and  fulls  called  the  Piraponi,  which 
furnis  an  oti>ta('le  that  it  would  eost  eiiuriiiouslv  to  remove. 


THE   SAO   FRANCISCO   BASIN. 


:i'j:] 


uvi  provinces  of  Piauhy  and  Ccarii.  lUit  wlint  a  fntnio  is 
ill  store  for  tlic  ^rreat  Sao  Franciscan  vallev  wIkmi  it  shall 
ivccive  the  gift  of  a  steamboat  and  shall  hear  the  scream  of 
the  locomotive  !  When  any  one  stops  to  consider  how  much 
Nature  has  done  towards  fnrnishing  I>razil  with  a  great  in- 
terior water  highway,  it  seems  wonderful  that  it  should  not 
loiiu'  since  have  been  improved.* 

Tiic  railways  of  the  province  of  Rio  have  already  been 
(Icscribcd  in  the  "Journey  in  Ihazil.''  Oovcrnment  is 
jiu>liiiig  the  Dom  Pedro  II.  line  northwai'd  into  Minas,  with 
the  view  of  continuing  it  over  the  Manti(iucira  and  across 
the  highlands  into  t!.c  valley  of  the  das  A'elhas.  A  <;  im- 
ruatl  has  been  commenced  from  Cachoeira,  on  the  bay  of 
IJaliia.  to  Urubu,  on  the  great  ri\-er,  and  there  is  hope  for 
tlie  Sao  Francisco,  even  if  the  Pernambuco  and  .Siio  Fran- 
Li>e()  and  the  Dahia  and  Sao  Francisco  railways  fail,  as  they 
jiiolialdy  will,  in  reaching  the  river. 

*  The  difficulty  seems  to  tie  not  Paulo  Offbnso,  nor  Sol)ra(linho,  nor  Pira- 
pora,  \int  /loliliis,  ami  the  jealousies  of  those  who  have  had  anytiiiii;,^  to  iln  with 
tiie  matter.  A  steamer  some  time  apo  was  huilt  in  seetious,  and  started  on 
its  overland  journey  to  the  Sao  Francisco;  hut  I  cannot  learn  that  it  has  yet 
ruhclicd  its  destination,  liiirton  says  that  a  M.  Dumont  liron^rht  to  Kio  from 
Bi'iileaux  two  small  steamers,  which  were  to  he  transported  in  sections  to  tiie 
Hill  das  Yelhas,  and  commence  rmininj,'  in  ISC'.t,  so  that  it  is  prohahle  that 
-team  navigation  has  !)een  hy  this  time  opene(l  on  that  river.  I  have  tried  in 
vain  tlH-()uj;!i  my  Brazilian  corres])ondence  to  inform  myself  on  this  as  v»ell  as 
f  tilt  r  matters  relatinj;  to  Brazil,  but  it  seems  wel!nit;h  as  ditliewlt  to  keep  one's 
H'lf  |iusted  in  the  ])rof:ress  of  ati'airs  iu  the  interior  of  Brazil  as  it  is  to  obtain 
uews  from  the  heart  of  China. 


294 


GEOLOGY   AND   THYSICAL   GEOGKAi'IIY. 


CHAPTER   YII. 


THE   rROVlN'Ci:   OF   UAIIIA,  —  INTERIOR. 

Journeys  of  Sjiix  niid  Martins,  Nicoliiy  and  Laccrda,  Allen,  and  other  Exjjlor- 
crs.  —  (ie(ilt);:ieal  and  rii\>it'al  I'\'atures  of  Country  bctwoen  Malliiula  ,iii.l 


Cac'lioeiia,  deMiilied  1)V  Von   .Martins.  —  SandstoiiL's.  —  Uemains  of  Ma 


In. 


dons  fonud  near  N'illa  do  Kio  de  C'ontas,  —  Iniin 


r 


lease  i  opper  lionjiier  tidi,: 


Caclioeiia. —  Hev.  Mr.  Nicolay's  Report  of  Journey  from  Caelioeira  to  ihc 
Cliajiada  Dianiantina. 


•  ( )eenrrenee  of  Diamonds  in  Sa 


i(l>tone; 


.  —  L 


stones.  —  Sterile  I'lains.  —  Diannii.'iforous  Sands  of  the  Ciia|iada.  —  The 
Diamond  Mines  of  Sineorii  and  Leiicues.  —  Annual  Yield  of  the  I'rovjiico 
in  Diamond-^.  —  Mr.  Allen's  Report  of  a  Journey  from  C'hi(iue-' 'liii|ui',  viii 
Jaeoliina,  to  Caehoeira.  —  Countrv  lietween  Chi(ine-t,'hi(iue 


and 


J 


icoliiiia  an 


immense  Limestone   I'lain.  —  The  Cha])ada   at  Jaeoitina  a  detaehed  Hat- 


topped  Mass  of  Sandstone.  —  (i 


Hills.  —  "  Lake  I'li 


uii. 


east  of  Ja 


olio 


bina.  —  Knoiis  —  I'otholes,  proliahly  of  (Jlaeial  <  )ri;4in.  —  Eastern  Samlet 
I'lain.  —  Climate,  Ve;;etatioii,  v*ic.  of  Route.  —  Ditfereiiee  in  Topo;:ia|ii'y 
lietween  ( iiieiss  Uejiions  of  Rahia  and  the  Mnenry  deserihed  and  aceoiiiiii.'.l 
for  — Former  /greater  Extension  of  Forests.  —  \'on  Martius's  Deseri|itiiiii 
of  the  Country  lietween  Caehoeira  and  .foazciro.  —  Country  near  F(  iia  il.i 
Coneeirao  — Serra  do    Rio  IVi.xe.  —  Rio    Ita])ietini.  —  Waiu  of  Rain  at 

C2 


ueimailos. 


Serra  de  Tiuha.  —  Tan^ 


(|iies  am 


1    F()«sil    IJones  near  Coclic 


Till'  (iri'nt 


aiiilia.  — 


d'Atrmi,  Harri-a  Molle,  and  Neij^hborhood.  —  Monte  Sant<j 
Meteorolite  of  IJemdet^o.  —  Hoek  Inseriptions.  —  Villa  Nova  da  !> 
Joa/eiro  to  he  the  Terminus  of  Rahia  and  Sao  Franeiseo  Railroad.  —  Ki"  1': 
Salitre.  —  Salt  Lieks.  —  Mr.  Allen's  Note  on  th  lit  of  the  Sao  Fraiui"'" 
Valley. —  Saltjiefre.  —  Cieolo<;y  of  Countrv  between  Carunhauha  and  I'ni 
bii.  — Change  in  Geological  Structure,  Climate,  Vegetation,  &c.,  below 
Urubii. 


Tin:  interior  of  the  province  of  Bahia,  notwithstaiidinir 
its  rich  diaiiujiKl-iniiies,  is  ahnost  a  ierra  incognita  to  tlic 
geoloo'ist  aiul  geogTaplicr.     It  forms,  however,  so  important 


PROVINCE   OF   DAIIIA, 


IXTKRIOn. 


295 


a  part  of  the  empire,  tluit  I  have  deemed  it  worth  while  to 
collect  the  most  important  fuets  that  licar  (jii  its  <:-('ol()j:y 
iiiid  ])hysical  geo;i'raphy,  and  with  these  hel'orc  us,  J  think 
tlint  \v(.'  shall  he  al)le  io  eonx'  to  some  trustworthy  eonclu- 
sioii  as  to  its  general  structui'e.  Though  Sj)i.\  and  Afartius 
t'Xjiloicd  the  province  while  geology  was  yet  in  its  infancy, 
llicy  made  many  inti'resting  o'oservations.  The  Rev.  ^Ir. 
N'iinlay,  a  few  years  ago,  visite*!  tlu;  diamond  district  in 
coiupiuiy  with  Dr.  de  Lacerda,  and  he  has  kindly  furnished 
nil  with  some  notes  v)n  the  route  he  followed.  Mi'.  .1.  A. 
Alli'U,  ornithologist  on  the  Thayer  Kxpc'ition,  crossed  the 
jiroviiu'e  from  (•hiiiue  Chii|uc,  on  the  Sao  Francisco,  to  ('a- 
'liiit'ira,  and  1  am  indehted  to  him  lor  a  very  interestiu'.'- 
sketch  of  the  C(nmtry  he  traversed.  That  part  of  the  Satj 
Frniicisco  valley  comj)rised  in  the  ]>rovinee  has  heen  ex- 
amined l)y  V(jn  Martins,  St.  John,  and  others,  and  linally 
liy  llurton,  so  that  we  know  its  general  geological  features. 
These  ol)scrvers  furnish  us  with  three  complete  sections 
across  the  country  lietween  the  Sito  Francisco  and  the  sea, 
and  Mr.  Nieolay  gives  another  incom])lete  one.  In  examin- 
ing this  material,  we  shall  take  up  these  sections  in  their 
elder,  going  from  north  to  south,  and  we  will  Ih'st  follow 
\'eii  Martins  in  his  journev  from  ]\Ialhada  to  the  coast. 

This  little  town  is  situated  on  the  Rio  Sito  Francisco,  op- 
posite the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Carunhaidia,  in  the  jn'ovinee  of 
l!;ihia,  at  the  extreme  northern  angle  of  ^linas  (Jeraes.  \'on 
Mart  HIS  says  that  the  vicinity  '•  is  composed  of  limestone, 
wlneli  the  hurning  of  the  woods  not  infre(piently  (dianges 
nil  the  surface  into  a  white  chalk-like  crust.  'J'his  rock 
loi'iualion  we  left,  on  the  third  day's  ride,  between  th(} 
fazeiidas  Currahnho  and  Pe  da  Serra,  where  we  oiiserved 
jTraniie,  and  on  it  here  ami  there  layers  of  a  ])orous  iron 


296 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GLOGRArilY, 


saiulstonc,  in  jiart  weatlicrod  to  iron  ochre."  lie  ilesorilios 
tliis  whole  reu'ion  as  beini^  covered  hy  a  catiii^a  giowtl, 
with  Ccrci  and  CnidoscoU,  ttc.  The  water  is  bad  and  slimv. 
The  popnUition  is  principally  cnuaged  in  raising;  cattle  ami 
horses.  Leaving  this  part  of  the  conntry,  high  hanks  <>[' 
red  granite,  some  hare,  othei's  covered  thickly  with  cir/!, 
were  met  with.  Near  the  Serra  dos  Montes  are  r(jiiiii|ii| 
liills  and  monntains,  composed  oi'  diorite,  and  destiliili.' 
both  of  soil  and  vegetation.  The  rock  ibrniing  the  Sciia 
dos  Montes  Altos  is  gneiss  and  granite,  'i'he  soil  is  in 
many  places  highly  impregnated  with  saltpetre,  but  this 
salt  is  extracted  to  no  important  extent.  In  the  Sci in  (!(■ 
Caytele  ([uartzosc  shale  or  (piartz  rock,  like  that  Ibuuil  so 
extensively  thnnigh  ^linas,  aliounds.  It  is  flesh-red  in 
color,  almost  horizontal,  and  IVcMpicntly  traversed  b}'  luiiw 
veins  of  white  (piartz.  East  of  Caytele  is  a  level  high  Inml 
of  this  same  (]uartz  rock.  On  leaving  this,  one  descends 
to  reach  a  hilly  country  composed  of  gneiss,  covered  with 
catinga  forests. 

The  moimtains  in  the  vicinity  of  the  fazcnda  of  Joazeiio 
arc  of  granite  and  gneiss  granite.  The  roati  thence  to  tlie 
Villa  do  Rio  de  Contas  "  rises  gradually,  and  leads  linally 
into  a  valley  shut  in  on  both  sides  by  high  mountains.  Tlic 
Serra  da  Villa  Velha  rises  at  least  1,200  feet  al)ove  the  villa. 
The  base  of  the  mountain  is  comjiosed  (jf  mica  slnte,  ou 
which  rests  red  quartzites  {Quarzsc/iiefer},  and  over  these 
white  rocks  of  the  same  kind."  The  strike,  according  to  nur 
author,  is  from  X.  X.  W.  to  S.  S.  (),,  Avith  a  Avesterly  <lii), 
which  is  higher  in  the  upper  l)eds  than  in  the  lower.  The 
foot  of  the  mountain  is  covered  witli  light  vegetation,  which 
resembles  the  flora  of  Herro  Frio;  on  the  top  it  resembles 
that  of  Tejueo.     Quartz  rock,  thndy  laminated   and  elas- 


rnoviNCE  OF  daiha,  —  inti:i;ior. 


L".»7 


lie,  was  observed.  Oold  occurs  in  veins  in  \ho  rock,  and 
iilso  in  the  sands  and  •Travels  (»('  the  I>rnniadt»  and  other 
sti'canis,  where  it  is  f(jnnd  in  iiTains  and  nnjrg'ets.  Spix 
ami  Martins  s]ieak  of  one  nutinct  havin<i^  been  found  weigh- 
'wj:  eiuht  pounds.  Two  leagues  noi'th  of  the  villa  are 
(iliicr  gold  deposits.  The  great  sandstone  formation  is 
riditly  deserii)ed  as  extending  northeastward  under  tin; 
iiaiues  ]\I()rro  das  Ahnas,  ►Serra  do  Catuld,  t^erra  da  Cha- 
paila.  Ac.,  to  Jaeol)ina. 

Spix  and  Martins  describe  the  top  of  the  Morro  Tle(h)ndo 
as  tiat,  and  speak  of  the  occurrence  there  of  a  hard,  white 
saiiil  rock,  on  which  wer(>  drawings  in  red  paint,  sup])osed 
to  have  been  made  by  the  Indians.  This  rock  rests  upon 
I^Taiiite,  which  in  some  ])laees  contains  angite.  North  of 
lliis  is  th(>  Herra  de  Tiul)a,  and  l)etween  it  and  the  ^^ao 
Francisco  they  found  green  pistacitc  in  the  granite. 

Over  the  quartz  rock  lies  a  red  sandstcjne,  concerning 
wliicli  Von  Martins  shall  sjieak  in  his  own  words  :  — 

"The  third  formati(-)n,  which  we  met  here,  is  that  of  the 
so-called  red  Todtlicr/nide,  or  ohler  sandstone.  It  occupies 
die  liiuhest  ])oint  of  the  mountain,  as  even  at  nrumadinho, 
and  shows,  without  distinct  stratification,  here  and  there  a 
thickness  of  sevei'al  Inuidred  feet.  This  rock  is  here  com- 
posed of  grayish  white  quartz  grains,  in  which  jiicces  of  red- 
•lish  (piartz  sandstone  and  of  red  Grauwacke  skate  ai"e  im- 
hcilded,  and  it  is  not  infrequently  intermixed  with  nnudi 
silver  white  mica.  To  this  formation  or  to  one  of  the  over- 
lying clays  belong  probably  certain  nodules  of  clay  iron- 
stone which  are  hollow  inside,  and  contain  a  very  tine  red 
powder,  whicli,  according  to  the  results  of  an  examination 
made  liy  my  honored  colleague,  Hofr.  Vogel,  is  composed  of 
non  oxide,  argillaceous  and  siliceous  earth,  with  some  lime 

13* 


208 


GKOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   ClKOGRAniY, 


find  ninfrnosia,  mikI  is  uscmI  liy  llio  iuliahitnnts  ns  a  tonic. 
Tlic  liiuiu'st  inoiiiiliuii  of  this  disti'ict,  llie  Senii  dc  itiiiiliii;i. 
l»r<)l)alily  presents  tlic  same  formation  of  tlu!  red  T'-iltlu- 
ircnile  on  its  ennical  head.  We  saw  it  northwestward  fidiii 
the  >h)rr()  l^'(|(>ndo,  rising  liigh  into  the  hhie  ether,  and  aiv 
of  the  opinion  that  it  is  at  least  r),000  feet  high." 

From  tlie  vieinily  of  the  river  Sant'  Antonio  a  heautifiii 
variety  of  alaliastcM-  is  olilained,  and,  aeeording  to  Spix 
and  Martins,  it  occnrs  in  hirge  qnanlity.  It  is  sent  to  I)iilii;i 
to  lie  made  into  images  an<l  oriuunents.  Dr.  Laeerda  kimily 
presenle(l  me  with  a  line  s|:  mi  of  this  mineral. 

J>ones  and  teelh  of  the  ,udon*  oeenr  apparently  in 

plenty  in  the  vieinity  of  the  Kio  de  Sant'  Antonio,  near  \U- 
A'illa  do  Kio  de  Conlas,  ami  near  the  old  fazenda  de  llnm 
Jesus  de  ^leii-a,  eight  leagues  from  the  Villa,  buried  in  tlic 
soil. 

Jietwcen  the  Villa  and  the  T?io  dc  Contas  arc  qnartzitos 
Avhere  miea  slates  passing  into  granulitc  make  their  appeur- 
anee  lying  in  granite.  The  granulitc  "  h(dds  here  and  tlictr 
masses  {Knanrrn)  of  a  very  hard  coarse-grained  eelhiliu' 
gray  (piart/.  On  this  formation  wc  oliserved  layeis  of  ;i 
light  gHMMi,  somewhat  porous,  very  com])act  sanil^tdiio. 
Avhieh  ajipears  exactly  like  that  which  in  OiM-many  is  Iniv 
and  there  interstratified  with  the  Qiiadcrsanf/s/i'in.  PanluM 
woods,  leafless  in  the  dry  season,  stretch  out  in  innncasnr- 
alde  extension  over  the  hillv  or  even  mountainous  hml; 
large  tracts  ai'C  covered  with   bushes  of  the   Arirf  p;dm. 


(^Cocos  sc/i/zop/ii//Ia  Mart.), 


and   here  and  tlierc  a 


lighter  clump  of  the  Aricuri  palm  {Coros  coronata  Mart. )." 

The  base  of  the  Serra  das  Lages  is  composed  of  clay  ami 

mica  slates,  chiefly  greeuish-gray  in  color,  some  approach- 

*  Sec  note  top.  261. 


t^rmtmf^^m^* 


PROVINCi:   OF    BAIIFA,  —  INTKRIOR. 


'JlW 


iiiL'  clilnritc  slate,  find  coiitainini:'  ot'lalicdi-jil  crystals  of  ii-oii, 
IlijInT  up  (juartzitt'S  a])i)('ar,  ami  on  the  tup  the  vcn'ctatioii 
icsciiiliii'S  that  of  Miiias.  Near  the  la/ciida  ol"  La^LCs,  oii 
the  top,  arc  heavy  deposits  of  iron  ore,  in  the  form  of  luatr- 
iictic  iron,  si»ei'nlar  iron,  and  lirown  iroii-slonc  ;  "■the  last 
riniii>lies  not  iidVecpientiy  consideraltle  (plant it ics  of  sti!- 
jinsL'tierite  (ph()si)hate  of  iron)."  'J'hc  prcvaiiinu-  strike  of 
tiic  ([iiartz  rock  is  from  north  to  soiitli  iiii  Stiiui/c  liii,  '2'-), 
aiiil  •J4,  the  clip  of  the  strata  at  high  angles  from  to  -GO" 
towards  the  east. 

Jii  the  Serra  do  Hinijora  the  rinartz  rocks  (Qiiarz- 
srliirp'r)  have  a  strike;  of  X.  S.  tin  S/iiik/c  'I'l,  •2-\,  and  i,'4, 
and  ilij)  with  high  angles  toward  the  east,  it  forms  the 
division  hctwceu  the  high  and  low  lands  of  tin,'  province  of 
lialiia  ;  cast  of  it  obtains  a  changeahle  wet  climate,  while 
to  the  west  there  is  a  dry  climate. 

Leaving  the  Serra  of  Sincora  one  meets  with  granite, 
liiiriililende,  and  clay  slates  and  diorite.  These  are  over- 
laid with  layers  of  clayey  sand  of  an  ochre-yellow  color, 
which  in  some  places  is  even  ten  feet  thick.  '•  Near  Cara- 
I'atii  there  overlies  the  granite  an  older  sandstone  (  (hunirs 
Tix/f/ico-rntfcs),  which  is  comi)osed  of  rme-grained  (piartz, 
i'cMspnr,  and  mica,  and  ajtproaidies  feldspar  porphyry.  In 
this  are  inihedded  rounded  masses  of  ipiartz." 

At  Olho  d'Agua  great  blocks  of  white  quartz  arc  ex- 
posed. 

'•The  soil,  -which  already  at  Olho  d'Agua  hegan  to  he 
liilly  and  mountainous,  continues  with  similar  irregularity, 
and  covered  with  catbw'a,  until  finallv  in  the  vicinitv  of  the 
Fa/.cnda  do  Rio  Secco,  which  we  reached  at  the  end  of  the 
iilth  day,  the  I'oad  sank  gradually  l)etween  some  high,  hare, 
granite  mountains,  where  the  traveller  rcu  "  ;s  a  plain,  which. 


300 


GEOLOGY   AND   PIIVSICAL   GKOGRAI'IIY. 


covcn.'d  iiK^rcly  with  (Irit'd  slinilis  a  few  feet  lii;j,h,  ]irosoiits 

a  inoix'  IVco  aspoct At  Rio  Succo  tlicro  r<'stcf|  on  iii^. 

granit(»,  wliidi  wImmi  hcildtMl  .sliowod  a  strike  of  W.W.W.  _ 
S.  S.  ().,  ami  a  westi'i-ly  dip  (  I'Aiisr/iicsscti)  uiidci- a  lijirh 
angle,  a  line-grained  iiornltlcndi"  rock  and  iron-stone."' 
The  eonnti'V  l)et\ve(Mi  N'illa  d;i  Tedra  Ihanea  and  Caclinciiu 
Spix  inid  Miirtius  I'onnd  to  In*  eoniposed  of  gneiss  and  'nan- 
ite,  with  occasunud  beds  ol'  horidik'nde  roek  and  mirn 
sh\te. 

In  tlie  lust  eentnry  then;  was  found  near  CaehoeiiM  a 
huge  mass  of  native  eoi)per,  whieh  was  cai-ried  to  MsImih. 
Spix  and  Martins*  visited  the  loeality  whei-e  this  mass  was 
fonnd,  iuid  eould  discover  nothing  that  would  Justify  tlicm 
in  helieving  that  the  copjter  was  derived  from  the  roeks  of 
the  vicinity,  which  consist  of  gneiss.  They  afterwnrds  saw 
the  si)ecinien  in  the  museum  at  Lisbon  and  examiniMl  it. 
It  bears  the  following  inserii)tion  :  — 

"  Maria  I  ct  Petro  III  im]terantibus,  euj)rinn  niitiviiiii 
minenu  ferri  mixtnm  jionderis  libr.  MMI)(.'X\'l  in  Didiiriisi 
Pra^feetura  ]trope  oppiduni  Cachoeira  detectnm  et  in  riiii- 
cipis  Mnseo  P.  MDCCLXXXIl."  According  to  YmuWWu 
in  the  Memorias  da  Acaflemid  Real  das  Sricncias  dc  Llshon, 
Vol.  I.  p.  2(n,  the  outside  of  the  mass  is  of  a  hardeii'il 
dark  yellow  color.  A  portion  of  the  surface  v.as  analy/ctl. 
and  gave  ninety-seven  per  cent  of  j)urc  cojipcr,  with  no  traei; 


*  Accordiiif:  to  Voii  ^Inrtins,  liaise.  Band  II.  Seitc  746,  copper  oc<  iir>  at 
the  followinjr  places  in  Riazil :  — 

Riljcrao  dc  Sao  l)oniin;j:os,  near  Pc  do  Jforro,  in  the  Comarca  do  Sirni 
Frio,  Minas  Oeraes,  where  it  is  fonnd  in  prenstone. 

Primeiro-i  Campos,  in  tlie  Serrn  Ciiraea,  Province  da  Bahia,  chloride  {>'lt:- 
saiircs)  and  sul]diiiret,  occnrrinfr  in  pranite. 

Arr;  ial  do  Pinlieiro,  Cattas  Altas  da  Itaperava  and  Inficionado  in  MIiuj 
Gcracs. 


PROVINCK   OF   r.AHIA.  —  INTF.RIOR. 


no  I 


i,r  •itlicr  p:()l(l  or  silvor.  Viult'lli  says  tluit  a  socoiid  mikI 
^iii;illt'r  |»i<'t'('  was  litiiml  ii(>ar  it.  Spix  ami  Martins  a|i|)i'ar 
td  liavc  coiisidcrtMl  the  mass  as  u  nictcorolitc,  hut  I  luivo 
xi'ii  tVaiiiiR'iil.s  of  amyj;,ilal()i(lal  traji  IVdin  the  vicinity  of 


Ciiiiiiicira,  aiu 


1   I 


un  iiiclinni  to  consiikT  it  an  erratic,  dc- 


ri\c( 


I  IVum  this  trap. 


Mr.  Allen   gives  nu;  the   fdllowlni;  note:  "  Tlie  eonnti-y 
■tuccii  Malluula  and  tl'    eoast,  in  all  its  leadinu'  uculdiiical 


IcMtiires,  as  u'lven  h\ 


l.v   \ 


on 


.Mart 


nis,  Iteai's  a  most  strikini:' 


rcH'iiililance  to  tliat  traversed   hy  myself  some  lOO  to  Jot) 


iiii 


lis  to  tli(!  north  of  this  lim 


■>ome  nunor  leatnre 


as 


the  occurrence  here  and  there  of  clays  and   slates,  etc.,  I 
iioticcil  at  only  one  or  two  j)oinls,  and  only  as  insiunificant 


patches." 

"At  Chiiiuc  ('hi(iue  I  ohsorved  very  small  jiatclx^s  of 
MKiuiii'tic  iron  ore,  at  times  apparently  in  place  and  ri'stinj^ 
(111  tli(>  limstones,  hut  commoidy  occurrinu-  as  detached 
|iat(hcs  and  irregular  fraunients  of  large  size.  It  is  un- 
(liiulitcilly  similar  to  that  spoken  of  l»y  Ihirtun  as  occurring 
ill  large  (|uantitie8  a  little  helow  (.'hi(pie  Chiipie." 

Mr.  Xiculay  says  that  the  country  rises  toward  the  Chapa- 
ua  Diamantina  l»y  a  scries  of  terraces,  and  he  estimates  the 
height  of  the  chajjada  at  :).0()0  feet  aliove  the  sea,  which 
would  coincide  with  Mr.  Alleu's  estinuite  of  the  height  of 
ihe  chapada  at  Jac()l)ina,  and  of  my  own  estinuite  of  the 
hcijiht  of  the  chapada  at  Minas  Novas.      At  the  "  cha|)a- 


la,"  savs  Mr.   Xieol 


av 


tl 


de^ 


lerc  arc  ''  shales    sandsiones. 


and 


conglomerates.  The  sandstones  vary  nmeh  in  quality,  hoth 
as  to  comp(jsition  and  hardness,  hut  are  all  evidently  the 
direct  products  of  j)riniitivo  rocks.  V\)on  these  sandstones 
tl 


ici 


0  is  (or  was)  a  stratum  of  (piartzite,  in  many  jdaccs 
^till  very  distinct,  in  which  are  foimd  crystals  of  magnetic 


3(12 


GKOLOGY    AND   I'llYSlCAL    GEOGRAPHY 


ami  oilier  jtyiitcs,  uiid  amoii^  the  sands  ci'catcd  liy  tln" 
disintojii'atiou  of  this  rock,  us  marked  by  these  crystals, 
diamonds  are  usually  found. 

"  'J'he  suj)Ci'jK)sition  of  the  harder  upon  the  softer  strata 
is  the  cause  of  the  itrescnce  of  those  caverns  called  ^riim, 
whi(,'h  lVi'(|U(Uitly  })erforate  the  hills,  and  in  which  niaiiv 
diamonds  are  fountl.  'i'hey  are  all  formed  hy  the  peicol  - 
tion  of  water  throuiih  the  ro'-'-,  and  the  disinteu'ratioii  of 
the  sol'ter  strata:  hut  in  the  larticr  lunniier  of  cases  imt  a 
cavern  hut  a  I'uin  is  fornir(l,  and  the  siu'faee  j)rescnts  a  wild 
confusion  of  enormous  blocks  or  shifts  of  conglomeratic  sixty 
to  seventy  feet  sijuarc,  and  from  t(Mi  to  fifteen  feet  thick,  lor 
the  laigv^'r  examples.  As  y(>t  1  am  not  aware  that  any 
fossils  have  been  found  in  this  district .  The  chapada  foiaii^ 
the  eastern  limit  of  the  barrier  of  the  g'rcat  I'iver  Sao  I'Vaii- 
cisco,  and  1  can  trace  it  Irom  the  sources  of  the  ParauiUvMi 
into  (Jnyaz. 

"  The  chapada  is  s(>j)arated  from  the  next  division  by  tin; 
valley  of  the  river  Sfio  .lose  on  tin;  south,  a.  tributary  on  iIh' 
left  bank  of  the  Para,<riias>u.  'J'lie  n(>xt  ranuc,  wliicli  may 
l)e  called  the  limestoiio  ranu'C,  that  rock  beiiiL!,'  de\('lopi'il  ji, 
mau'iiifieent  clilTs,  especially  on  tin;  eastern  side,  ami  piv 
sentiiifi"  numerous  caverns,  is  distant  about  twidvi;  mill's. 

"  1  am  not  aware  that  this  limestone  has  Ikhmi  m<)r(>  than 
casually  examined  by  \'ivian  luiar  Joa/.eiro,  liy  myscll'  at 
Mocambo,  and  by  Cato  at  Rio  Tna,  an  afluent  of  the 
Parau'uassu,  riii'lit  haid<.  nor  have  1  heard  inal  aiiv  Ibssils 
have  'oeen  found  in  it.     It  is  very  distinctly  bedded.*     Iia- 


*   Mr.  Allcti,  wlio  has  carofiiUy  read  Air.  Nicolay's  report,  says  ;  — 

"  'I'lif  liiuotoiu's  itu'iitioni'd  liy  Nicolay  fjifi'lly  puz/.io  mo.     'I'lu'y  socm  to 

oc'C'r  (III  triliiitarics  of  llic  l*arai;iia>sif,  ami  liriici'  must  hv.  ds/  iit'  tlic  ili:i|iaiia. 

If  s>o,  liL'tls  of  liiUL'stouc'S  inurit  occur  on  both  sides  of  the  divide  vhkh  scj)- 


rnoviKCE  OF  dahia,  —  interior. 


8or'. 


ni('(li:itcly  to  tlio  east  of  this  occurs  a  bolt  of  violent  (li^l()- 
catidii.  say  twelve  leajrues  in  hreiuith,  or  more,  presenting 
irrCLailar  hills  of  j)riniitive  roek  [li'neiss.  c.  f.  h.]  with 
vallovs  between  them,  not  hatun!i>-  usiKtllij  aiii/  oiitU'f*  and 
lor  the  most  i)art  covered  with  a  forest  of  ancient  growth. 

••  Here  the  road  is  strewed  with  large  (inai'tz  ])(>hl(les, 
!i  il  lioulders  of  all  sizes,  qualities,  and  colors.  The  hrrjos. 
(ir  hnjlows  between  the  hills,  are  sometimes  lakes,  nioiv 
(li'tcii  swamps,  and  souiO  occasionally  are  quite  drv.  This 
is  the  Serra  do  ]\locambo,  Scrra  da  Calderao  da  Onra.  and 
Sella  da  Saude,  and  is  uuirked  on  the  south  of  the  river 
rai:iLziiassu  by  the  Mato  dos  ]\Iacacos. 

••  To  thes(>  hills  succeeds  a  /.one  of  faho'c-'-os  or  a  fahohiro 
er  tabh'  land,  where  gncissose  rocks  are  often  exposed  on  tlie 
siirtaee,  wliieh  is  nearly  level,  Imt  varied  by  occasional  small 
lak''s  (ir  ponds,  and  riachos  or  watercourses,  having  no  final 
issues  for  their  waters,  and  often  dry  dnring  a  pait  of  the 
vcai-.  This  is  crossed  bv  the  deep  cut,  Ibrmed  bv  the  l\'io 
l'ai'ai:iias>u,  whic.'h,  like  othei-  rivers  to  the  north,  presents. 
In  tlic  e.\;(Mit  of  its  cnclicnh',  or  overflow,  sometimes  a  mile 
iu  wjihh,  a  belt  of  verdure;  all  the  ri'st  is  arid,  a  region  of 
<aiti  and  jirickly  ami  aronuific  plants. 

■■  1  |iiin  this  surface,  however,  at  long  intervals,  a))|)eai'  iso- 
lateil  musses  of  primitive  rock  at  I>ahu.  a'lout  loO  feet  IiIliIi 
[ali(i\e  flu;  plain],  and  a  range  of  similar  I'ocks  or  hills, 
loiewn  as  the  SeiM'a  das  Pedras  IJraucas,  from  which  some 
'I'Kliei-'^,  singu'  rly  rounded  on  !he  suilaee,  ai'c  presented 
i"   Pe(lia    IJedonda.     Th;.-;   crosses   the  Taboleiro   at    aliout 

iiraic-  ill,,  \allc_v  (if  tl>v  Sfio  Fnmcisco  fnmi  tliu  sen.     If  ^(),  it  is  ii  )>:it(li  lie- 
I 'iiuiiiu'  uiKldiilitcdlv  to  llic    liiiii'stoiifs  (i('vi'l()|)('(l    so  cxtciisivclv   in    the  Sfio 
I lami  i(.  valley.     Iti   ills  ^qiciss  taboleiro  1  rcco;;iii/.c  iiiv  '  lake  iihiiii.'      (Scf 
r'!'"!"!  di'  my  journey.)" 
*  This  i>  otic  of  ihc  (ealiires  of  a  jjlaeiated  tiurfacc.  —  C  F.  II. 


•  :'¥ 


304 


OKOLOC.Y    AND    PHYSICAL    GKOGRArHY. 


foiii'  lentriK's  from  its  castoru  cxticmil y,  Imt  without  outip'lr 
hroiil\iii<i;  its  continuity.  Hoyonil  this  the  Sorra  da  HiHiur 
ruo,  also  of  primitive  lock,  f'oi'  the  most  part  hare,  and  im- 
mediattdy  to  the  oast  tlic  Sei-ra  Man<2;ali('ira,  where  I  ix- 
peet  on  further  examination  to  find  s'lidstono;  l)eyond  thi-; 
is  unihdatin^  wooiU'd  ground  for  six  h'agues,  tt)  anuilur 
tahoh'iro  of  the  sam<'  geoh)g*ical  eliaraeter  as  the  other.  Imt 
presentin^a'  a  superior  vegetation,  and  wliich  is  again  Ixiuinlcil 
to  tiu'  east  hy  a  chain  of  nearly  contiiuious  elevations,  wiiirli 
forms  the  main  l)uttress  of  the  system,  the  west  limit  ol'tln' 
Lagoa  do  Rio  I'araguassu,  and  to  the  east  of  which,  oidy  sn 
far  as  1  kiioir^  excepting  at  the  chai)ada,  sandstones  aiv 
devch)ped." 

"Throughout  the  entire  district  the  hottom  rocks  ww 
gneissose,  varyivg  occasionally  to  j»orphyry  and  granite  mi 
the  one  hand,  and  hornblende  and  quartz  rock  on  the  other. 
occasionally  presenting  micaschist." 

Mr.  Xicolay  further  remarks  that  "  not  onlv  near  tin' 
limestone  I'angcs,  hut  on  the  edge  of  the  great  tabuleiio. 
saline  streams  are  found." 

From  Mr.  Nicolay's  report,  as  well  as  from  what  he  li;i< 
stated  to  me  in  conversation,  there  can  he  no  douht  thai  tli' 
diamonds  of  the  interior  of  l»ahia  occur  in  a  sandstom*  I'eil. 
forming  pai't  of  the  great  sheet  which  once  ovcrs|)read  the 
whol;'  country,  tying  in  with  the  sandstones  and  clays  of  tin' 
Je(|uitinhonha  hasin  ;  and  this  sandstone,  as  we  shall  sir 
from  Mr.  Allen's  report,  is  found  also  at  Jaeoliina,  at  whii  h 
place,  in  IToo,  diamonds  were  first  discovered  in  the  pi'uv- 
ince  of  I>ahia. 

1  saw  specimens  of  the  diamantiferous  rock  from  th 
chapada  in  the  hands  of  Mr.  Xicolay.  It  was  not  itneulu 
mite,  hut  it  seemed  to  me  to  hear  a  verv  close  rosenilihiiiii' 


PROVIXCE   OF   BAHIA,  —  INTERIOR. 


505 


to  llio  sandstone  bed  overlying  the  clays  in  the  Joqnitin- 
lioiilia  busin.  It  also  bore  a  remarkable  resemblance  to  the 
tertiary  sandstones  on  the  Uahia  Railroad  ni-ar  Pitanga, 
wlicre  diamonds  also  occur.  The  diamantilerous  sands  1 
>;i\v  in  the  j)ossession  ol"  Dr.  de  Lacerda  at  IJahia  ajjjH'ared 
to  have  resulted  from  the  disintegration  oi"  the  chaj)ada 
sauilstoues.* 

It  is  nnich  to  be  regretted  that  the  diamond  mines  of  the 
("hapada  Diamantina  have  never  been  critically  examined, 
fur  1  feel  convinced  that  from  their  study  the  mystery  of  the 
oiiiiin  of  the  diamond  is  to  be  solved. 

The  metamorphic  l)asis  of  the  province  of  Ilahia  j)reseuts 
a  long  and,  on  the  whole,  a  gentle  slope  towards  the  sea, 
and  a  shorter  and  e(|ually  gentle  incline  towai'ds  the  Sao 
Fiaiii'isco  valley.  Along  the  highest  jtart  of  the  pnjvincc 
tlii'ie  runs  an  irregular  strij)  of  sandstones,  occasionally 
Miuling  offspurs  in  various  directions,  and  not  infre(inently 
forming  isolated  patches.  These  sandstones,  lying  nearly 
if  not  (piite  horizontally,  form  a  series  of  chai)adas  or  table- 
lands, and  flat-toitpcd  hills  of  greater  or  less  extent,  and 
with  an  elevation  of  about  3,000  feet.  On  the  eastern  side 
of  this  line  of  chapadas  is  the  diamond  district,  embracing 

*  SiMcimcns  of  (liiimimtiferoiis  sands  sent  from  Bah i a  to  M.  Diiinour  were 
foiuul  to  (uiitain  tlie  following;  minerals  :  hyaline  ([iiartz,  Jasper  and  silex, 
iiaiohiniite,  (listhene  or  eyanite,  zircon  or  liyaeinth,  feldspar,  red  jxarint,  iiiaLf- 
ne>i:in  }:nrnet,  mica,  tourmaline  (j^reen  and  Macli),  hyalotoiirmMJine  (fdjad), 
tall',  wavellite  (rulxxlu),  yttric  phosphate,  titaniferon.s  yttrie,  phosphate,  diaspore, 
niiile,  lirookite,  anatase,  hydrated  titanic  ncid,  tantalite,  haierine  or  ((iliim- 
liitt',  litanifermis  ferric  oxide,  stannic  oxide,  merenric  sulphide,  and  gold. 
[Ihdh'iind,' Ja  Sorn'lv  (InihiijIiiHo  de  Pnrh,  2''"  Serie,  S('anee  dii  7  Avril,  1856, 
I-  54 J.)  Another  paper  on  the  diamantiferous  sands  of  Haliia,  by  the  same 
auihdr,  is  to  he  founil  in  the  Ihilhtin  df  ht  Sorii'ti^  Philomnthiiue,  5  Fevrier, 
1^.")3.  I  have  been  able  to  consult  neither  of  these  papers,  and  I  quote 
ilirou'di  Burton. 


.".OG 


GKOLOCY    AM)    PHYSICAL    GKOGHAl'HV. 


the  licnd-wnlcis  of  the  Parnguassu  ami  Itapiciiiu,  roi'iuiiiir 
an  invmilar  area  nearly  I.jU  miles  iji  kingtli  from  north 
to  south. 

The  Sena  or  Chajtada  do  Shieord  lies  many  leagues  to  the 
souilieastwaid  of  the  Serra  da  Cha|)a(hi  j)roj)er,  of  wliicli  ii 
is  a  spur  or  outlier,  and  it  appears  to  eross  the  J*ai'a,Liiiiis>u 
with  a  northeast  ti'end,  hut  the  ma})S  vary  to  so  great  a  de- 
gree that  1  ean  form  no  satisfaetory  eonelusion  as  to  its 
extent.  'J'he  only  deserijjtion  1  ean  find  of  the  serra  is  con- 
tained in  a  letter  IVom  the  geologist  llehniciclKii.*  Ar- 
coiding  to  him  the  serra  "hears  the  sanu;  raw  and  iiii- 
hos])iial»le  ehai'aeter  to  the  eye  as  that  of  the  (Irao  Mogul'; 
extensive  eamj)os  form  the  e(juntry  hctween  its  wcstciii  si  »]h' 
and  the  ."^erra  (Ui  Chapada,  -while  the  e(»untiy  from  its  east- 
ern slope  toward  the  eoast  is  eovei'ed  l)y  Ihiek  woods."  lie 
says  that  there  is  a  close  analogy  hetwcen  this  serra  and  tho 
Oi'ao  ^foiror  in  u'eolou'ieal  sti'iieture.  and  that  iirolialilv  it  is 
comjnisi'(l  of  itaeolinnite.  '"The  iirst  discovery  (jf  diainoiids 
was  here  nuuh'  on  the  lianks  of  the  Maciijc,  and  the  Coin- 
mercio  (the  chief  plaee),  distant  ninety  miles  from  l)ahia.is 
on  the  Macuie  on  the  lands  helonginu'  to  the  Fazenda  de  San 


.)oao. 


\)\ 


imo 


ml 


S   W( 


re  found  in  the  serra  of  Sincoia  omt 


an  extent  of  twenty  leagues,  The  washings  on  tlie  we>t 
side  of  this  serra  have  up  to  the  present  turned  out  to  lie 
poor.  Consiih'ral)le  (piantities  of  diamonds  were,  howev 
washed   from  tlu'  Macuje  itself,  and  from  the  jioinls  wl 


Cl', 


ICIC 


the  Paiaguassu  and  Andarahy  cut  through  the  serra.  <>ii 
the  Andarahy  the  j)rineipal  washings  are  confined  to  tlic 
brooks  of  the  vicinity,  which  flow  into  it  on  its  right  liauks. 


*  Qiiotoil  In-  Von  Tscliiidi,  Ileism  (lurch  Slid  Aiiifrirn,  Zweitcr  Bniil,  l">r' 
Seite.  IlL'liiUficlien  did  imt  liiiiiscir  visit  tlie  Scrni  do  Sincorii,  but  he  ol'taiiul 
his  inforriiiitiuu  from  a  traveller  in  wliDin  he  juit  eoiilideiicc. 


PROVINCE   OF   HAIIIA,  —  IN IKKIOR. 


507 


IKiv  tlierc  arc  iimiiy   snakes,  iniiih   fvvov  and   airuo,   and 
ianionds."     A  vciy  rirli  deposit  has  Itucu  diseovnvd 


IlKlllV   * 


uiiliiii  the  last  Ii'w  yeafs  at  Smeora,  and  the  city  has  grown 

)(,  ;i  \cry  hii'gc  si/A'. 

The  ritv  of  Ia'Ium'k's,  which  is  the  government  headnjnar- 

1  district,  is  sitnati-d  aliout    thiity  miles 

t  ul"  Macnie  or  Santa  lsali(d   do  I'a- 


tcrs  ol   the  diamoni 


lu  the   no 


•th 


ittl 


1  a  little  easi 


ra'juiissu.  aiu 


iic  vicinity  gi'eat  (|iian 


1  is  a  large  and  \-ery  impoilant   j)laee,  and 


lU 


titles  ol'eliamond^  are  washed.*  (.'as- 
icliiiiu  says  (hat  along  the  C(jnrse  oi'  the  liver  of  LenrAes 
ihcre  are  jjotdioles,  some  of  which  are  of  the  depth  of 
th  width  of  one  or  two  hra^os  !  In  these  ciil- 
thev  are  called,  a  considerahle  nnmhi'r  ol"  <lia- 


t\vriitV-ll\('   Wl 


'/'  li'di  s.  as 


lllnlHl 


have  Iieen  found.  The  same  author  says  that  these 
|iiit-linles  are  found  also  in  the  ehapada  and  are  always  ricli. 
I'i.iiiionds  also  ot'cnr  at  a  loeality  not  far  southeast  of 
Ciiiiliu-  ('hit|ue,  at  a  locality  calleil  the  Corirgo  de  Santo 
I'liKifio,  visited  hy  Ihirton,  who  descrilies  the  vicinity  as 
cDiiijinsed  of  itacolnmite.(?)  lie  says  (hat  there  ocenrs  here 
iis  at  the  ehapada  "a  honldery,  not  pehhly  conglomerate, 
which  re^'iuliles  that  of  the  Scottish  Old  Ited,"  f  «'>  'l<:>t  it 
woiihl  M'cni  that  the  hills  among  which  the  Santo  Itiiiacio 


I.cs  ]iliis  bi'iuix  (liiuiinnts  do  In  cliapi'liv  vicmn'iit  An*  T,(m1'<)I'<  (li's  ilraiv 


lll'll  Hi  III'  il  Vlll;:t  llOlU'S  ( 


ic  Saiita-lsiil)cl,  cctn;  hoiirLriKlc  tire  soii  iioiii  (I'lni  ^ros 


rni.-.H';ti 


I,  tiiihivf  dans  unc  KOfrt"  iiiot'oiidc  ;  il  sc  ])vvc\\ 


lite  do  somnii'ts  I'lcvi's  siir 
<li' lai^c  d.ilks,  et  aprcs  y  avoir  parfmini  cnvinni   trois  ci'iits  inctris,  il   sc  jitio 


I'll  InniKint  (1 


cascadi's  dans  Ic 


rio  Sfi 


.!( 


Tout  il  I't'iitoiir  df  CCS  mines,  i 


Ics 


mniita^iirs  cnticri's,  dcs  hlocs  ciionncs  c'i)ni|M)S('s  en 


rrand 


c   panic  dc  caillimx 
t  lie 


i(jiili>  ct  ciintiitcs   par  nnc  jiatc  frrniL'inciise  ct  prcsipic  noire,  tc'inoi'.Micn 
j;raiiiks  revolutions  m''ol()[:ii|iics.      I"-n  ;_'ciu'i-al,  les  jiicrrcs  out  des  t'ornics  ires 

tent    la   cri-tallisation   en    ocfaJ'ilre   torment  lii 


rc^iilurcs,  ( 


t  cell 


es    (pll    ])rc>en 


:ranil 


0  exception. 


Castelnaii,  Ilislniir.  <ht    ]'tii/iyi',  Tome   douxienie,  p.  34.'J 


note 


t  I'.urion,  Hie-hlands  of  Dra/.il,  Vol.  II    p.  .Ti6. 


?08 


GEOLOGY  AND   PHYSICAL  GEOGRAPHY. 


diiiinoiid  (lifrgings  are  lociited  belong  to  the  same  forinntidu 
as  tliat  of  the  cliapada,*  Jiurloii  deseriljes  the  ^{^vva  (i^ 
Piutur  as  tablv-topped. 

I  regret  that  i  have  been  unal)le  to  obtain  precise  inlnr- 
niati(Mi  eoiieei'ning  the  annual  yield  of  the  dianioiid-auiicsdf 
Bahia  as  well  as  to  the  sizc,t  (luality,  and  lelalive  value  oi 
the  stones.  Aeeording  to  the  re})ort  of  the  l*resident  of  the 
jtrovinee,  jmblished  in  liSOC),  there  were  exported  tlir(iiii;li 
the  custom-house  as  follows:  tlnring  the  year  lM)2-il;l. 
dianioiuls  to  the  value  of  1.047  :4.'J(J.sU00  ;  during  lM>;J-(i4. 
1.47<!:i)00«OUU;  and  during  1.SG4-05,  l.ocSl  ioOUnimiij  ; 
whieh  figures  show  a  decrease  during  these  three  years,  luit 
they  cannot  be  considered  as  giving  even  an  approxiniati 
idea  of  the  annual  yield,  for  only  a  very  small  pr()})orli<m  dl 
the  diamonds  actually  exported  })ass  through  the  custom- 
house, so  great  are  the  facilities  for  smuggUng.     t^u  nearly 


*  !\rr.  ^llon,  in  looking  over  my  MS.  luis  kindly  added  the  foiio\vin_' 
note  :  — 

"The  Scrrn  do  Assnrua  1  did  not  visit,  Imr  I  saw  it  at  a  distMiinc  mik!  iiilVr 
red  it  to  lie  of  sandstone.  As  it  overlies  the  limestone,  it  seems  to  lie  evjijeiitlv  ;i 
part  of  the  sandstone  formation  notie-'il  hy  me  to  the  eastward,  as  alremly  min 
tioned.  I  am  now  fidiy  eonvineed  of  the  trnthfnlness  of  your  >renerali/iui'in  in 
respect  to  the  former  <rreat  extent  and  siiliseipient  denndation  of  tin'  s:nid<toiie>. 
Tlu' ocenrrenee  of  (roid  ,niil  diinnnnils  in  tlie  ahove-named  serra,  as  aNo  at  .Iniii- 
hina,  was  rejieatediy  spoken  of  to  me  liy  many  trnstworthy  ]i('r<i'ns." 

In  I8u8  the  j;overnment  eoneeded  to  tlii'  Companhia  ^MetallnrLiieado  Assuni.i 
the  ri^ht  to  mine  ^M)id  ;md  other  metals  witlun  the  sjiaee  of  tour  leaLTiies.  fili 
vrirn,  /■!.r/iliiniriii)  i/i'  Miwrnoi,  ])nhlished  as  an  Annexo  in  a  government  n|ii'ri 
for  I8(')(').     My  ciipy  lias  no  title-pafxe. 

t  Tiie  diamonds  of  the  chapada  are  often  of  considerahle  size,  and  Burton 
says  :  "  Tlic  Chapada  of  Hahia  al>o  pro<lneed  a  stone  weii;hnii;  'f\\  earat'^.  a:i'l, 
when  cut  into  a  drop-shaped  iirilliant,  it  proved  to  possess  extraordinary  •>\.\) 
and  ln,~lre.  It  was  IjoiilMu  hy  Mr.  Arthur  Lyon  of  Rahia  for  .'tO  eimtus 
[■?  l.').()on|.  and  it  is  now,  I  am  t(d(!,  in  thi'  po.ssession  of  Mr.  E.  T.  Drojdon." 
(Burton,  Highlands  of  Brazil,  Vol.  IL  ^..  153.) 


rROVINCK   OF   BAIIIA,  —  INTKIUOK. 


309 


as  I  am  able  to  asccrtuin,  tlic  animal  production  in  dia- 
iiionds  of  the  pi'ovinco  cannot  lull  far  short  of  three  millions 
uf  dollars. 

1  am  indcliled  to  Mr.  Allen  for  the  followinf;:  — 


Xotes  on  the  Geological  Character  of  the  Coimtrif  Jutirpcn  Chl<ine- 
Chiqiie,  on  the  liio  de  ^uo  Fraitcisco,  and  Uahia,  Jini:il.  By 
J.  A.  Allen. 

Cliiiiue-Chiiiuc  is  a  small  village,  situated  on  the  Rio  de  Sao 
Francisco,  about  titty  miles  below  the  mouth  of  the  Kio  Craude; 
it  is  a  little  north  of  the  parallel  of  Jiahia.  My  joiirnoy  thence  to 
the  latter  place  was  by  the  route  usually  taken  by  mule-trains  in 
pussiug  from  the  Villa  dii  Baira  do  Rio  (Jrande  and  Chiiiue-Chique 
tu  the  coast,  namely,  by  way  of  Engcnho  VellK»,  Jacare,  .lacdbin-ix, 
Arniiid  do  Riaeho  do  Jacuhipe,  Villa  da  Feira  da  Sta.  Anna,  and 
t'achoeira.  As  I  found  it  necessary  to  perform  the  journey  ovei- 
this  unsettled  and  poorly  watered  district  in  company  with  the 
lari^c  eastward-bound  trojjas,  I  was  obliged  to  pass  on  hurriedly, 
Hiul  had  not  time  to  exph.  '<)  the  country  adjacent  to  my  route,  or 
for  a  satisfactory  cxi,  ..  ''  of  lUany  of  the  interesting  localities 
iiuniiiliately  upon  it.  'ah  fodowing  is  a  sununary  of  such  geo- 
loj.'ical  observations  as  I  was  able  to  make,  the  geology  t)f  the 
cwuitry  Iteing  to  me  at  the  time  a  matter  of  secondary  interest. 

The  country  between  the  Sao  Francisco  at  Chi(pie-('hi(iue  *  and 
thu   coast   at    Bahia  presents  three    natural    regions,  which    are 

*  Mr.  Allon  says  r  "  TIils  name  is  always  written  hy  the  iiiliabitants  of  the 
vilI,\iro  as  ahovc  ;  never,  so  far  as  I  oliserved,  Xicjue-Xifiue.  Tiie  j)lace  takes 
it--  iKUiic  tVoni  till"  ahniidaiit'e  of  a  low  lirancliinfr  form  of  (Wius,  called  hy  this 
iiiiiiR'  that  jivows  here."  Hurton  uses  Chi(iae-Chi(iae  for  the  town  and  Xiqiic- 
Xiquc  for  the  caetns ;  a  distinetion,  it  seems  to  me,  without  ii  ditf'Mvnee,  since 
liotli  are  jironouneed  alike.  The  vicinity  of  Chii(uc-Chi(|uc  appears  to  be  a 
piTtirt  paradise  of  cactuses.  The  nami>  is  ap]ilied  to  several  species  of  the 
plant.    See  Burton,  IIit,ddands  of  Brazil,  Chap.  XXII, 


310 


GKOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GKOGRAPHY. 


s£A  i.cif£i\  jjl;iteiius,  diiroriiig  widely  fi'Din  Civch  otlicr  in  jfo- 
logical  uiiu  utlicr  clmractunstics.  I  he  iirsr  or  v.i  >t 
cm  c'xtcndis  from  tlio  river  iiltove  iiiiinud  t(j  tin; 
vicinity  of  .Ia(.'ultina,  a  distance  of  rutlier  mov 
than  two  liundred  miles.  It  is  a  vast  hnicstipiir 
j)lain  I'isini,'  almost  iniperccfitiltly  from  the  livij 
of  the  Siio  Francisco  lliver  to  the  summit  nt'  ihr 
divide  which  separates  the  waters  ilowmi,'  \v.>t 
ward  and  northward  into  this  nol)le  stream  t'lnin 
those  that  reach  the  sea  hy  other  channels,  iltic 
an<l  thei'c  large  cxj)osures  of  the  underlyinLT  I'nk 
occur,  commonly  scarcely  rising  aliove  the  gt  laral 
level,  but  occasionally  forming  irregular,  piiniacli  il 
lur  mocks  or  low  serras.*  The  first  so-caliril 
'•  serra "  met  witii  occurred  at  Sta.  Kiix.ebiii ; 
thence  eastward  they  were  frequent.  At  St;i. 
EuzeMa  these  elevations  rarely  attained  a  Ini-ht 
of  fifty  to  one  hundred  feet,  above  the  gi'iiiral 
level  of  the  country  ;  farther  east,  and  particiilailv 
in  the  Volta  da  Serra,  they  rise  much  hiLiiiir  tiiaii 
this,  and  in  .some  cases  probably  reach  an  altiti!'!'; 
of  nearly  a  thousand  feet  above  the  plain.  Tlic 
limestone  for  many  leagues  to  the  eastwanl  "t' 
."^ta.  Kuzebia  is  very  compact,  dark  blue,  and  dis- 
tinctly sti'atitie<l,  resembling  lithologicaliy  sinm' 
that  I  had  j)revioiisly  seen  on  the  lower  pni-tiiiii 
of  the  Itio  das  Velhas  and  at  Lagua  Santa,  as  al.-" 

*  Burton  says  tliat  tlio  llincstoiic  at  Chi(]iie-('lii(|iii.'  i'' 
lar^a-ly  (|iiarrKMl  for  hiiriiiiiir,  :iiiil  ho  sufrj^csts  that  it  would 
make  a  jiuoij  iivdraulic  cement.  Aeconhii.ii:  to  him,  "  C'liiiiuo- 
CirKiue  annually  sends  nj)  and  down  stream  hetwocn  tJC 
Villa  d;i  15arra  and  Joazeiru  (ifteeii  hundred  to  two  flioii-am' 
al(iueires."    Mr.  Allen  remarks  that  "  the  weatherni;:olilie 

limestone  often  leaves  the  surfaec  studded  with  aeieular  or  small  atteiiuateJ 

points. " 


PROVINCE   OF   liAIIIA,  —  INTERIOR. 


311 


(in  tliL'  Sao  I'Vancisco  at  t'rubil,  FurtliLT  eastward  thii)  stratiHcd 
vaiiitv  |i!tssc'(l  into  an  ourtliy,  liglit-colurod,  iiustratiticd  kind, 
uhicli  was  frLHinently  greatly  duooniposed  at  the  suriUco,  lieeoniing 
,^Mtt.  white,  and  chalky  scnu'tiuies  to  the  depth  of  several  feet.* 
Tins  ;:;ive  to  the  distant,  nearly  verdureless  hills  in  many  jjlaces 
the  aiijiiaranec  of  being  covered  with  snow.  i»ands  of  the  strati- 
lu'ij  ruck,  which  was  sometimes  qnite  shaly,  alternated  with  those 
that  were  unstratitied  ;  in  some  instances  the  passage  of  the  (^no 
into  the  other  was  easily  traced.  Tlie  strike  of  the  limestone 
>trata  varied  Irom  K.  and  NV.  in  the  western  part  of  the  plateau 
t  1  \V.  N.  W.  and  K.  S.  K.  t  in  the  eastern.  The  dip  was  at  first 
iirarlv  vtitical  or  somewhat  to  the  southward,  hut  afterwards  an 
iiK'liiiation  to  the  northward  was  observed.  Large  caverns  were 
R'|MOtnl  to  l)e  of  fre(|nent  occurrence  throughout  this  limestone 
district,  from  some  of  which,  1  was  told,  very  large  bones  had 
in'tii  taken.  Many  of  the  caverns  are  doubtless  very  rich  in 
I'aladutological  treasures,  but  want  of  time  and  other  circum- 
stances would  not  allow  me  to  visit  them,  tliough  1  greatly  desired 
to  (In  so.  The  extent  northwards  of  the  limestone  I  hail  no  means 
nf  (k'terniining.  Its  southern  limit  I  once  saw  at  a  locality  known 
a>  (tlhos  d'Agua,  about  seventy-tive  miles  west  of  Jacobina.  At 
tins  [luint  we  turned  soutliward  a  few  miles  from  our  usual  course 
to  visit  a  spring  of  water,  and  found  an  extensive  exposure  of  a  com- 
pact i|uartzose  sandstone,  which  was  liorizontally  stratified  and  over- 
laid the  limestone  imconformably,  the  dip  of  the  latter  beneath  it 
iiciiiLT  at  ii  considerable  angle.  The  sandstone  here  stretched  away 
to  tlie  southward  for  miles  like  a  vast  level  floor,  its  surface  cov- 
ered tmly  with  detached  angular  blocks  of  the  same  rock,  and  sup- 
porting a  few  cacti.      A  distant  low,  even  seira  seen  in  the  same 

*  Von  MartiiLS  tJion^ht  that  this  chalky  crust  resulted  from  tlie  l)urnin<r  over 
"I'lhf  sanUce;  but  the  heat  wouhl  not  ite  great  entnigh  to  produce  such  an 

elllr;. 

'  Tlii<  strike  is  very  remarkable,  for  it  usually  varies  in  Brazil  from  N.  N.  E. 

:>'i:.N.i;.-c.r.  11. 


,.    ( 


312 


C;i:OLOCiY    .VNU   I'IIYSICAL    ULOGUAI'IIY. 


direction,  and  called  Serra  das  IVdrasd'A^xua,  was  doubtless  of  tii. 
hjuiic  foniiiition.  At  Jae(i!)ina  a  Hiniilar  horizontid  sandstone  uus 
oliserved,  wliicli  {,'ave  rise  to  a  lieaiitiful  level  grassy  plain,  culli.! 
tlic''J"al)(i]eM-a  (le  .laeiiliin.i,  and  wiiith  uccn])ied  the  sunanit  of  tin 
water-shed. 

Near  the  Volta  da  Si'rra  two  larL'i'  hills  of  hornstone,  or  clicrf 
("])edra  de  logo"  of  tlie  iJra/ilians),  were  crossed  in  tiie  ftu 
leagues  intervening  l)etween  this  considerable  serra  and  the  ,]ixo>- 
bina  taboleira.  One  of  tliein  attained  the  estimated  hei;:iit  of 
several  hinidred  feet  and  was  several  miles  across,  while  tlie  ntlur 
was  abdiit  half  these  dimensions. 

In  respect  to  the  relative  age  <jf  the  limestone  of  the  wcsttiii 
plateau  1  obtained  l)ut  few  data.  It  nuist,  however,  lie  nual 
older  than  the  sandstones  already  referretl  to.  Tlie  ((iin]);!!' 
stratified  j)ortion  has  a  very  striking  lithological  resemblaiuc,  ;i> 
previously  observed,  to  limestones  seen  on  the  lower  jiart  nl'  tht 
llio  das  Velhas,  which  r^'sted  conformablv  uijon  verv  old  il;i\ 
slates.  No  fossils  were  seen  in  it,  l)ut  nodular  concretions  wtiv 
fre(|uent  at  a  few  places.  The  Taboleiro  de  Jacobina  is  tiic  iinKt 
elevateil  j)art  of  the  region  under  consideration.  On  several  >ii!' > 
the  country  slopes  gradually,  but  to  the  eastward  the  descciit  t^ 
the  Jacol)ina  valley  is  abrupt,  through  a  narrow  precipitous  di  lil( . 
called  the  "  Tonil)ador  "  (literally  the  "  tumble  down  ").  Tin'  om 
trast  of  the  scenejy  here  with  that  of  the  taboleiro,  wliirii  tin 
traveller  may  have  left  but  an  hour  or  two  before,  is  vei'v  uivat. 
Almost  vertical  walls  of  rock,  nearly  a  thousand  feet  in  JRiL'iit. 
(piitc  surround  the  head  of  the  valley,  while  lower  down  are  iso 
lated,  dome-sha[)ed  peaks  within  these  enclosing  walls.* 

These  peaks  are  composed  of  compact  gneiss,  though  a  few  "t 
the  smaller  aj)pear  granitic,  but  the  u])j)er  jwrtion  of  tlio  walls  is 
quart/ose  sandstone.  The  valley  seems  to  have  been  foniuil  I'V 
a  rent  in  the   sandstone,  which   was   subseipiently  erodeil  id  it> 

*   This  srciUTy  must  liear  tlio  closest  rcscmblaucc  to  that  of  jiaits  ul  :li>' 
Arassuahy-Calhiio  valley.  —  C.  F.  11. 


I'UOVINCE   OF   IIAIIIA,  —  INTKKIOR. 


:u3 


present  size  and  form.  From  the  villa;.'('  of  Jucobiiiii  tlu'  Icvt'l 
siinuiiits  of  tho  distant  valley  walls  to  tliu  westward  iiro  conspic- 
iiiiii-i  feiiturt'S  in  tho  lamlscapo. 

T.eaviuLr  .Taeoliina  and  windinir  amonir  the  hills  for  a  few  leatr'ics 
we  sdon  enter  ni)on  tho  second  or  middle  plateau,  which  cxtond.4 
thenco  eastward  to  the  Scrra  da  Terra  Dura,  a  point  midway  be- 
tween Jaeohina  and  Cachoeira,  at  the  head  of  llahia  l?ay.  ThrouLrh- 
iiiit  this  distance  of  nearly  two  hundred  miles  I  found  <renerallv 
<n\\y  (litl'erent  varieties  of  gneiss,  usually  very  compact,  an<l  somo- 
tiiues  so  granitic  in  structure  as  only  here  and  there  to  ])resent 
weil-(letii\ed  stratification.  At  one  or  two  points  hornblende  rock 
wiis  Hiitieed,  of  which  there  was  a  consideraldo  exposure  on  the 
Kiiielio  de  Jacnhipc,  near  the  arraial  of  that  name.  The  dip  was 
ulways  eastward,  and  nsually  very  great  ;  the  strike  varied  some- 
what at  ililforent  localities.  Fi-om  .bicohina  nearly  to  the  Seira 
lia  Terra  Dura  it  was  generally  N.  X.  W.  and  S.  S.  K.  ;  sometimes 
N.  \\ .  and  S.  E.,  and  at  one  or  two  points  N.  and  .S.  East  of  the 
Arraial  dn  Itiacho  de  Jacuhijje  it  was  nearly  E.  and  "W.,  as  in  tho 
MiiPd  i';t  Eagoa  do  "Boi  and  Mon-o  do  Curral  Velho,  which  have 
this  tnnd.     In  the  SeiTa  da  Terra  I>ura,  but  a  few  miles  further 

VOL.    I.  14 


V. 


<^ 


/a 


S: 


^a 


'% 


V> 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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!f  iia  iiM 

2.2 


1^   Hi 


I.I 


1.25 


1 1.8 
U    11.6 


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314 


GKOLOGY   AND   TIIYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


cast,  it  varied  at   (litrcrent  points  from  N.  X.  K.  and  S.  S.  W.  t., 
N.  N.  AV.  and  S.  S.  K.,  averaging  about  \.  and  S. 

Over  this  whole  region  there  is  an  ahnost  entire  abscmv  ,.|' 
loose  materials  on  the  surfaoe.  Vast  exposures  of  nearly  tiaiM 
rock,  sometimes  of  acres  in  extent,  occur  ahnost  constantly  uimI 
nowhere  is  there  more  than  a  very  thin  sti-atum  of  soil.  Sli^'lit 
knolls  and  siiallow  ])asins  alternate,  which  raix'ly  differ  more  fhaii 
twentv  or  tliirtv  feet  in  elevation.*  In  the  rainv  season  niaiiv  nf 
these  basir.s  become  tilled  with  water,  fi)rming  shallow  laL:"a^. 
varying  in  area  from  less  than  one  to  more  than  fifty  acres,  li-mn 
the  most  of  which  the  water  evaporates  in  tlie  dry  season.  Tiitv 
are  filled  with  rank  atpiatic  vegetation,  the  dead  parts  of  wliiih, 
accumuhiting  year  by  yeai',  already  form  large  deposits  of  paitially 
decomposed  vegetable  matter.  So  mmierous  were  these  la'^'oas  i\,v 
more  than  fifty  miles  that  it  seemed  natural  to  speak  of  fli;> 
region  in  my  notes  as  the  "  Lake  Plain."  Almost  everywhere  tin.' 
elevations  are  evenly  rounded,  indicating  that  the  rocky  crust  lia- 
becMi  ex[)osed  to  severe  and  probably  long-continued  ahi-asmii. 
But  tlie  absence  of  abraded  materials  seemed  most  remarkalili'. 
Very  rarely  were  even  loose  boidders  observed,  thoiigh  a  few  siuli 
were  re])catcdly  noticed.  At  fre([uent  intervals  there  were  sin_'i;- 
lar  holes  in  the  rocks,  usually  nearly  filled  with  water,  to  which  tin 
inhabitants  give  the  name  of  "  caldeiraos."  t  These  "  caldeirrms" 
are  of  frequent  occvirrencc,  but  1  was  unable  to  learn  whether  all 

*  The  country  jast  below  tlic  falls  of  Paulo  Affonso,  at  Piranlia*.  for  in- 
stance, though  coinposcd  of  pnciss,  is  worn  clown  in  tlio  same  way  alino-t  t'l 
a  jilain  ;  luit  wliilc  it  nirrccs  with  Mr.  Allen's  "  lake  jilain  "  in  the  tliinins-  "( 
the  soil,  file  part  I  saw  was  abundantly  strewn  with  loose  rocks.  See  n-tVrcnce 
to  /'innilids,  in  index. 

t  The  term  cahlcimo  lias  the  same  deiivation  ns  our  Enj;]ish  word  cr.ldfn 
(rhnudirre),  and  it  has  the  same  siirnilieation.  It  is  a{)]ilied  to  true  jiot-lKpk'>, 
but  sometimes  to  rock  basins  in  whiidi  water  collects;  but  these  la>t  arc  men' 
frequently  called  fioros,  and  when  excavated  they  form  tdniimn.  Maininaliaa 
bones  (Mastodon,  &c.)  are  nut  infrequently  found  in  the  caldeiraos  of  the  hike 
plain  —  C.  F.  II. 


'■' "]W"'''  -'-iMn'<-y'-g!rt: 


rROVINX'E   OF   BAIIIA, —  INTKUIOR. 


.J  K) 


were  of  a  similar  chin-.'U'ter.  Nearly  all  of  th(>  (•(.iisiderablc  nunihcr 
ixuiniiiL'd  proved  to  be  gemiino  pot-liole.s,  and  scnue  of  tliein  were 
(,f  u'reat  size.  The  largest  one  \  measured  was  elliiitieal  in  outline, 
ri-litien  feet  long,  nine  or  ten  in  width,  and  twenty-seven  deep, 
with  smoothly  Avorn  sides.  P>eneath  the  water  that  jiartially  tilled 
It  there  must  have  lieen  many  feet  of  matei'ials  lh:it  for  ages  have 
invii  falling  into  it,  so  that  its  whole  dejith  must  he  much  ;rreater 
lliiui  my  measurements  indicate.*  Near  the  Serra  da  Terra  Dura 
the  country  l)ecomes  somewhat  diversified  by  the  presence  of  al)- 
ruptly  risuig  points  or  knobs  that  at  intervcals  dot  its  surface,  us 


*  ^Ir.  Allen  tolls  rnc  that  these  pot-liolcs  often  oecnr  out  on  the  jihiin,  far 
n\v;i_v  fVoiii  any  liiirh  huul,  ami  that  they  arc  sometimes  found  excavatcil  in 
till'  r.itiiinits  of  ilicrht  Imljiiiicr^^  i"  the  plain,  or  even  on  tlie  toj)  of  a  hill,  as 
ill  the  ease  of  the  ^forro  do  Caldeiiao.  Tiiese  holes  must  have  lieon  exi'a- 
v;i!i(l  liy  fallinLT  water.  There  is  only  one  snfrpestion  that  I  can  make  as  to 
llii'ir  oriirin,  and  that  is  tliat  tliey  were  formed  hy  L:lacial  watt'rfails,  in  the 
■ariK  way  as  tlu'  iiot-holes  foinid  over  the  plaeiatcd  rcuions  of  North  Amcrii'a, 
MS  fur  instance,  in  Xew  Brunswick  a!id  Xova  Scotia,  wliere  I  have  had  an 
"lifiortiHiity  of  examining  thcMii.  It  is  well  known  that  placial  waterfalls. 
iiittuithvtandiiii,'-  the  constant  movement  of  the  ice,  are  very  often  stationary, 
and  in  the  Alps  they  hoi  hnv  out  enormous  potholes  in  the  rocks.  Tlu!  lake 
lilaiii  i<  iu)ted  for  the  small  amount  of  decomiiosition  whicli  lias  taken  ],lace 
over  it,  owin;:,  I  hclievc,  largely  to  the  fact  that  it  has;  never  been  covcnvl  hy 
llii;  vir^jin  forest,  having  always  been  dry.  —  C.  F.  H. 


31G 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


illustratud  in  the  accom])iiiiyin,<(  sketch,  taken  from  an  cmMicnco 
kn«Mvn  as  the  Morro  do  Caldeiriio-assii,  tliere  being  a  large  |M,t- 
hole  near  its  summit.  This  elevation  reached  the  height  of  aliout 
one  hundred  feet,  and  was  the  most  considerable  elevation  crosseil 
in  this  part  of  the  journey.  It  overlooked  the  j)lain  for  iniuiv 
miles  in  every  direction,  and  the  knoljs  rising  from  it  looked  in.t 
unlike  small  rocky  islands  in  the  sea.  Those  examined  were  cuin- 
[)Oscd  chiefly  of  ([uartz,  the  great  hardness  of  which  may  have  pro- 
vented  their  being  so  much  abraded  as  the  softer  strata  enclosing' 
them.  At  its  ctvstern  border  the  middle  plateau  becomes  more 
broken,  and  merges  gradually  into  the  Serra  da  Terra  Dura. 
These  hills  are  all  composed  of  gneiss,  varying  somewhat  in  cli;ir- 
acter,  but  gcnei'ally  very  hard  and  com2;)act,  with  a  rather  small 
amount  of  mica.  The  average  trend  of  the  strata  has  idready 
been  given. 

From  the  Serra  da  Terra  Dura  a  considerable  descent  is  made 
in  reaching  the  third,  eastern,  or  coast  plateau.  This  is  chai- 
acterized,  so  far  as  observed  by  myself,  by  the  general  absence  of 
rock  exposures,  and  a  deep  supcrficiid  deposit  of  compact  sand. 
2:)robably  detritus  from  the  naked  aln-aded  plains  to  the  westwaid. 
Its  extent  and  general  features  are  too  well  known  to  re([uire 
a  dctaded  description  here.* 

The  three  i)lateaus  described  above  are  separated  from  each 
other  by  low  mountain  chains  and  belts  of  broken  country.  The 
sandstone  serra  of  the  Ton^bador  and  the  gneiss  range  of  Jaco- 
bina  divide  the  western  from  the  middle  one,  while  the  Sei-ra  d;i 
Terra  Dura  separates  the  latter  from  the  eastern.  In  sonio 
I'espects  these  several  districts  are  somewhat  alike,  but  geologically 
they  Midely  ditl'er.  The  first,  as  previously  observed,  is  a  vast 
limestone  plain,  two  hundred  miles  in  extent,  rising  gi'adually  to 


*  This  plain,  which  Mr.  Allen  has  ropresonted  on  his  profile,  he  (lescribos  .t^ 
continuing;  down  to  Caclioeira,  and  it  is  undouhtedly  composed  of  the  tertiiuy 
sandstones  which  extend  over  so  large  an  area  at  the  head  of  the  bay  of  Todos 
OS  Santos.  —  C.  F.  H. 


PROVINCE   OF   DAHIA,  —  INTITJOR. 


017 


the  eastward;  the  second,  of  equal  breadth,  is  gneissoso,  and 
;;]inarently  everywhere  of  nearly  uniform  altitude  ;  the  tliird  is 
narrower,  somewhat  lower,  and  sandy.  'i'lie  wh(jle  region  be- 
tween the  Siio  Francisco  and  the  sea  is  covered  usually  with  a  low 
forest,  or  catinga,  excci^t  a  nari'ow  belt  along  the  coast,  wliero 
a  inoister  atmosphere  cherishes  a  more  luxuriant  gn)wth.  'I'hc 
coinitry  everywhere  wears  a  b;iri-en  aspect,  the  vegetation  is 
dwarfed  and  scanty  and  the  aridity  of  the  climate  is  excessive. 
Tlio  greatest  aridity  and  the  highest  temperature  obtain  in  the 
limestone  district,  where  for  nine  months  of  the  year  little  or 
no  rain  falls  and  all  the  herbaceous  vegetation  anmiully  withei'S. 
(atti  in  great  variety,  including  some  of  gigantic  proportions,  with 
vaiious  species  of  bromeliacete,  arc  leading  forms  in  the  vegeta- 
tion. With  the  exception  of  a  few  species,  the  trees  are  leafless 
throughout  the  long  dry  season,  and  the  streams  either  become 
dry  or  form  mere  chains  of  brackish  pot)ls.  The  couvolvuli  and 
ether  vines  that  overrun  the  catinga,  though  dead  at  the  time  of 
niy  juurncy,  indicate  an  excessive  luxuriance  of  foliage  and  flowers 
during  the  short  rainy  period. 

The  middle  or  gneiss  district  differs  l)ut  little  in  its  climate  and 
veL'etation  from  the  preceding  ;  it  is,  however,  less  arid,  and  cacti 
are  proiiortionately  less  frequent,  though  still  a  leading  featui-e  of 
the  vegetation.  The  eastern  or  sandy  plateau  is  also  quite  arid  in 
its  western  pai't,  but  gradually  becomes  moister  towards  the  sea, 
where  the  vegetation  exhibits  the  ordinary  luxuriance  character- 
istic of  the  Brazilian  coast.  In  the  vicinity  of  .Tacobina,  however, 
where  the  great  altitude  of  the  land  arrests  the  currents  of  damp 
air  from  the  sea  and  condenses  their  moisture,  mists  and  light 
rain-falls  occiu-  at  frequent  intervals  throughout  the  year,  and  the 
forests  are  not  only  of  larger  size,  l)ut  their  verdure  is  perennial. 
In  the  Serra  da  Terra  Dura  a  nobler  forest  growth  is  also  seen, 
resulting  from  causes  similar  to  those  existing  at  Jacobina. 

The  po])ulation  of  the  middle  and  western  plateaus  is  extremely 
sparse.     The  settlements  consist  of  but  a  few  flimilies  each,  and 


318 


GKOLOGY   AND    I'lIVSICAL    GEOGRAPHY. 


occur  (inly  at  li>ng  intervals.  Xothiiii,^  uijproaching  the  charactd' 
of  a  village  is  met  with  between  the  Sao  Francisco  and  Jacoliin;,. 
Tlie  middle  district  is  more  thickly  settled,  little  luunU'ts  luin^' 
more  or  less  f'riMHient,  and  there  are  a  few  small  A'ilhiLj'es.  Tiip 
eastern  is  comparatively  well  settled  and  largely  under  cultivation  ; 
towards  the  coast  the  soil   is  very  productive. 

A  jom'uey  across  the  limestone  ])laiu  is  alwa^'s  tedious  luul 
dilhctdt.  Ivxtra  animals  must  he  taken  to  transport  food  for  Imtli 
men  and  beasts,  and  in  the  dry  season  water  must  in  like  niaiiiur 
be  ])rovided  for  use  in  crossing  the  long  stretches  where  none  lhh 
be  ol)tained.  During  the  rainy  season  the  swollen  streams  aiid 
noxious  exhalations  from  the  temporary  pools  render  the  journey 
ecpially  troublesome  and  far  more  dangerous. 

The  topograi)liy  of  the  arid,  gneiss  country  of  the  intoiior 
of  lialiia,  .Sergipc  and  Alagdas,  with  its  great  jilains  iiml 
bare  surface,  is  in  striking  contrast  with  tluit  of  the  I'oicst- 
clothed  gneiss  region  of  the  coast  of  these  j)rovince.s  and  of 
those  to  tlic  sonth,  where  the  sin'facc  of  the  gneiss  never 
forms  ])lains,  hut  is  always  hilly  and  ridgy,  and  covered  ly 
a  thick  bed  of  drift-clay.  This  dilference  in  topograpliical 
features  has  resulted,  at  least  in  so  far  as  the  last  suiiacc- 
moulding  is  concerned,  from  the  different  climatic  infhieiicis 
to  which  these  jirovinces  have  been  subjected.  Over  liotli 
of  those  parts  of  the  country  an  extraordinary  amouni  of 
erosion  has  taken  pkice.  One  might  at  first  be  iiiclinod 
to  consider  tliat  the  amount  of  denudation  had  been  greater 
over  the  gneiss  ])lains  than  in  the  hill-roughened  basin  of  the 
j\rucnry,  since  on  the  former  the  upturned  gneiss  strata  aie 
})laned  down  to  a  more  even  level ;  but  it  seems  to  mc  that 
this  feature  furnishes  no  criterion.  The  peculiar  topograpli; 
of  the  wooded  gneiss  region  is  owing  to  the  prevalence  ol"  a 
very  moist  climate,  giving  rise  to  numerous  streams,  which 


nmMvjrirjB  vw  i  iiiiiaiwrsw! 


PROVINCE    OF    I5AIIIA,  —  INTERIOR. 


319 


havo  furroAvcd  tlic  surface  with  an  intricate  system  of  water- 
courses, such  as  we  do  not  fnid  over  the  gneiss  ])lains  of  the 
nnrdi,  for  the  grand  jthysical  features  of  the  northern  coun- 
tiv  ill  (luestion  arc  such  as  produce  a  dry  climate,  and  pre- 
cludc  tlic  possil)ility  of  tliat  nneipial  erosion  such  as  is  jiro- 
(liiccil  ])y  the  flow  of  surface  waters  fed  liy  heavy  jieriodical 
or  constant  rains.  Decomposition  must  have  {ilayed  its  part 
licforc  the  drift  as  well  as  afterward,  for  else  how  could 
tliosc  feldspathic  sandy  clays  of  the  tertiary,  S})read  (ner 
the  coast  })lains  and  the  great  Amazonian  valley,  have  been 
formed  ?  I  cannot  resist  the  conclusion  that  the  present 
('(iicst  lielt  was  Avooded  heforc  the  drift,  and  that  this  forest 
a!ul  its  attendant  peculiarities  of  climate,  were  the  causes  of 
(Icconiposition  as  at  present,  Avhich  decomposition  has  aided 
iinnicnsely  in  rounding  down  the  hills  and  producing  topo- 
frraphical  features  which  received  their  fmishhig  touches 
fi'iim  the  glaciers. 

Ill  the  interior  of  Bahia,  hehind  the  arid  region,  where,  as 
ill  the  Chapada,  or  the  Serra  de  Tiuba,  the  country  throws 
r.]i  harriers  to  the  air-drift  and  causes  the  condensation  of 
moisture,  we  find  a  dilferent  kind  of  topogra))hy,  and  the 
surface  is  deeply  furrowed.  There  are  forests,  and  decom- 
position has  taken  place  to  a  greater  or  less  extent. 

Till'  limits  of  the  forests,  of  the  belt  of  decomposition, 
and  (if  the  area  over  which  copious  rains  fall,  coincide  very 
roiuarkably,  and  show  a  dependence  ujion  each  other,  l)ut 
tlic  I'nwst  lielt  has  a  smaller  area  than  that  of  decomposition 
or  of  the  rains.  The  wooded  belt  seems  to  have  narrowed 
frroafly  within  com|)aratively  recent  times,  losing  its  foot- 
liiiM  in  the  west,  where  immense  regions,  now  campos,  over 
wliii'li  the  climate  and  soil  Avould  normally  be  ])roper  for  the 
gin  will  of  forests,  have  dried  up,  the  climate  has  become 


r,2o 


GKOLOGY   AND    PHYSICAL    GKOfjr.ArilV. 


hot,  less  rain  now  fulls,  ancl  iho  forest  cannot  i-egain  its  lost 
place.  DonUlless  there  arc  many  natural  i)liysical  causes  to 
Ijc  taken  into  consideration  in  studying-  the  distrihutioii  of 
the  Ibrest,  catinga,  and  canipos  iionc;  Imt  there  is  oin.' 
agency  -wliich  has  l)ccn  at  work  in  Brazil,  whose  efrects  we 
can  hardly  overestimate,  and  that  is  the  burning  over  of 
wood  and  campos  lands  by  man.*  The  very  j)hysicul  I'la- 
turcs  of  the  highlands  of  i>razil  determine  a  dinercuce  of 
luxuriance  in  the  flora)  of  different  regions,  and  there  are, 
as  I  have  already  shown,  regions  whei'e  for  ages  the  climiito 
has  l)een  such  that  forests  could  scarcely  have  had  ;uiy 
noteworthy  extension,  so  that  there  nuist  have  always  Ikcu 
in  Brazil,  naturally,  virgin  forests,  catingas,  cam])0s,  niid 
barrens.  On  the  coast,  where  the  forest  is  dense  and  moist, 
and  the  climate  is  wet,  forest  fires  are  next  to  impossihk', 
and  one  never  sees  a  scorched  and  dead  wood,  such  as  cov- 
ers so  large  an  area  in  the  province  of  New  Brunswick,  for 
instance.  But  in  the  interior,  where  the  catinga  forests 
dro})  their  leaves,  and  are  as  dead  for  several  months  in  the 
dry  season,  fires  arc  easily  kindled  and  the  wood  killed  :  ami 
fires  set  in  oj)cn  fields  or  campos,  for  the  jnirpose  of  ])ro- 
ducing  a  new  crop  of  grass,  may  spread  to  the  ncig]il)oring 
catingas.  It  is  the  opinion  of  many  writers  that  n  lnrQ(^ 
])art  of  the  catinga  and  campos  region  of  the  Brazilian  liiuh- 
lands  was  once  covered  l)y  forests,  and  that  their  jiresent 
bare  ai)pearancc  and  the  character  of  their  flora?  is  in  \o\y 
great  measure  due  to  frequent  and  extensive  burning  over 
of  the  country.  Every  year  the  Brazilian  campos  lands  arc 
systematically  and  almost  entirely  burned  over,  for  tlie  ])i!i'- 
posc  of  producing  a  new  crop  of  grass.     This  burniiiij,'  of 

*  For  .1  very  intcrcstin":  article  on  the  effect  of  tlie  hurnitif!:  over  (if  tlie 
campos,  see  Ti<f.isl-riff  for  Pop.  Fretn.  if  Xaturvid., —  Caiiiposjloraen  o(j  Campos- 
brcernlene,  by  Eug.  Warming. 


PROVINCE    OF    BAIIIA,  —  INTERIOR. 


321 


course  lias  dcstroyod  all  those  trees  and  shrubs  and  jdants 
(if  ill!  kinds  that  cannot  bear  ihe  scorching,  and  has  wrought 
u  pirat  alteration  in  the  eliaractcr  of  the  whole  flora  of  the 
reuion  ;  the  climate  also  has  sni'lered  a  change,  for  with  the 
(J('>tnicti(;n  of  the  woods  and  forests  it  becomes  hotter,  the 
unprotected  earth  is  like  a  furnace,  streams  run  ih'v  a  few 
days  after  a  shower,  and  the  sj)rings  disappear,  'i'he  whole- 
sale' iind  careless  destruction  of  the  foi'ests  on  the  Ih'a/iliiin 
coast,  unless  jiut  a  stoj)  to,  will  in  the  end  work  a  sure 
ruiu  to  the  country.  Brazil  owes  her  climate  and  fitness 
(or  auricultural  purposes  to  her  forests,  and  it  is  absolutely 
lU'Lcssary  that  they  should  be  preserved  over  a  veiy  large 
jiart  (»f  the  country,  csijecially  on  the  coast.  The  climate 
ut'  the  J>ahia  has  alreaily  sultcred  from  the  destruction  of 
the  forests  of  the  Reconcavo,  and  the  burning"  over  (jf  the 
]ilains.  But  I  fear  that  Bra/.il  will  learn  this  fact  only 
wiicu  it  is  too  late. 

Tills  whole  subject  of  the  former  wooding  of  the  Brazilian 
canipos  is  the  same  as  that  i-elating  to  the  North  American 
l»vairies,  whicli  many  sujiposo  to  have  once  been  wooded. 
f>aiia  has  shown  that  the  existence  of  forests  depends  upon 
iiKiislure,  and  any  climatic  change  which  may  lessen  the 
aniouiit  of  moisture  over  a  region  may  cause  the  thinning 
out  and  fund  disappearance  of  its  forest ;  and  it  is  more  than 
pn (liable  that  some  such  infiuencc,  beside  that  of  forest  clear- 
ing and  burning,  has  been  at  work  in  Brazil. 


Taking  the  Estrada  do  Capoeirassu  on  their  journey  from 
Ciuliooira  to  Joazciro,  Spix  and  Martins  ascended  the  steeji 
slope  of  the  same  name  as  the  road  to  a  height  of  about 
seven  hundred  feet,  when  they  reached  the  t<>o  of  the  dry 
plateau. 

14*  V 


GKOLOGY    AND   I'lIVSICAL    GKOGRArilV, 


The  rock  in  the  vicinity  of  Cachoeira  is  gneiss,  rcddisli  or 
yellowish  in  color,  Avith  a  N.-S.  or  N.  E.  -  S.  W.  s^lrilco 
and  westerly  dip.  In  some  parts  specular  and  niagiictii; 
iron  were  observed  to  take  the  j)lace  of  mica  in  the  i-ock. 

Two  le.igiies  from  Cachoeira  the  country  becomes  l)nriiii 
and  uninhaljited.  Here  is  a  little  place  called  Feini  dc 
Concei(;ao.  "The  plain,  as  a  general  thing  elevated  I'miu 
six  to  seven  hundred  feet  above  the  sea,  forms  here  ami 
there  shallow  hollows,  in  whi(;h  during  the  rainy  seasuu 
l»rackish  water,  often  nnlit  for  the  nse  of  cattle,  collect.s. 
In  other  jilaces  one  sees  in  several  directions  rows  of  hills 
with  gently  sloping  sides.  The  only  rock  we  found  was 
gneiss,  gneiss  granite,  or  granular  graiiite,  for  the  most 
part  of  a  reddi.sh  or  yellowish  color,  though  sometimes  also 
blackish  or  white.  This  rock  lies  entirelv  bare  over  a  lariio 
extent  of  snrface,  or  is  covered  by  a  thin  coat  of  a  heavy 
red  clay,  which  appears  to  originate  from  the  decomposition 
of  the  same  rock.  Besides  this,  fragments  of  granite  and 
fine  granite  lie  scattered  about.  In  the  low  lying  and  wet 
places  one  finds  little  woods  very  much  like  the  capoos  of 
Minas  Geraes ;  the  higher  plains  and  the  hills  are  in  some 
cases  bare  of  all  vegetation,  in  others  clothed  with  siuulc 
cactus  stems  and  plants  or  with  thick  bnshes  and  low  trees. 
All  these  j)lants  belong  to  the  catinga  group,  for  they  shod 
their  leaves  in  the  dry  season,  and  for  the  greater  jiart  clotlic 
themselves  only  on  the  entrance  of  the  rainy  season.  Only 
in  the  low  wet  ])laccs  do  the  leaves  remain  on  during  the 

whole  year The  wood  is  never  wholly  without  sap 

during  ihe  leafless  season." 

The  trees  leaf  out  with  marvellous  ra})idity,  and  a  short 
rain  sufilces  in  two  or  three  days  to  clothe  a  wood  with 
spring-like  veidnre.    Von  Martins  speaks  of  the  roots  of  the 


PROVINCE   OF   P.AniA,  —  INTKRIOR. 


323 


liulMi/cii'O  {SpondidH  t/ihcrosd  \n\)  wli'u.'Ii  oxtoiid  uiidcr- 
nnmiid  iicai-  the  siirliicc',  and  arc  full  ol'  sut'lliiius  as  lar<''0 
even  as  a  child's  licad,  liullow  and  lull  of  watci-,  —  a  pvo- 
vi>i('n  against  tlic  drought.  Duiing  the  dry  season  these 
liDt  iilaius  arc  almost  destitute  ol"  life.  The  same  kiiul  of 
couutrv  extends  on  to  the  Rio  do  J*eixe,  and  during  the  diy 
sciisoii  it  is  almost  wholly  without  water.  When  Spix  and 
Martins  reached  the  Rio  do  Pcixc,  they  found  it  only  a 
.string  of  brackish-watcr  jkjoIs. 

Crossing  the  Rio  do  Peixe  our  travellers  passed  over  a 
range  called  the  Serra  do  Rio  do  Peixe,  which  is  dcscrihed 
as  licing  composed  of  gneiss  and  granite,  and  strewn  with 
jiigantic  and  isolated  blocks  of  gneiss.  In  some  places  horn- 
blende rock  was  observed. 

The  Rio  Itapicuru  was,  like  the  Rio  do  Peixe,  dried  up, 
fonnhig  only  a  string  of  pools.  Over  all  this  region  this  is 
the  stale  of  the  streams  during  the  dry  season  ;  but  a  week's 
rain  lills  their  dry  beds  and  converts  them  into  torrents, 
which  if  the  rain  docs  not  continue,  soon  become  dry  again, 
tor  the  surface  water  runs  speedily  off  from  the  bare  rocks 
and  exceedingly  scanty  soil.  Such  a  country  is  of  course 
barren  and  unfit  for  culture.  Rain  falls  abundantly  enough 
on  the  sea-coast,  but  the  air  soon  parts  with  its  moisture,  or 
becomes  so  heated  that  but  little  or  none  is  condensed  in  the 
interior.  The  Arraial  das  Queimadas  lies  only  about  one 
liundred  and  thirty  miles  from  Bahia.  But  very  little  rain 
falls  there,  and  Von  Martins  relates  that  the  inhabitants 
assured  him  that  in  some  parts  in  their  vicinity  it  had  not 
rained  for  three  years.  A  little  cotton  and  maize  are  culti- 
vated there.  One  league  N.  W.  from  this  jdace  red  gneiss 
was  found,  strike  N.  N.  E.  At  Bebedor,  one  league  farther, 
white  granite,  with  a  N.  W.-S.  E.  sti'ike,  was  seen.     Ap- 


32-i 


firOLOiiY    AND    I'lIVSICAL    GKOGRAI'IIV 


proneliiii^  flio  Scrra  do  Tiiiha  li^•llt  <.n'CGii  pisturile  l)ociiiuo 
inoro  and  ni'»rc  ahiiiidiiiit  in  \\w  ^I'anitt^  at  liist  in  ^liiins. 
takin<i' llio  i)la('C  of  niiea,  al'torwards  in  hands  tln'oiinh  ihc 
rociv.  Thin  hiycrs  ,)f  a  slatu-liivc  honil)londe-htunc  wciv 
als()  oltsci'vcd  in  tho  rock. 

The  Hcrra  (h'  Tiiil)a,  where  our  travellers  j)assed  if,  is 
about  twelve  hnndr<M|  feet  hi^li  above  its  base,  and  is  coiu- 
poscd  of  reddish  granite  i)assing  into  sienite.  It  is  woddnj 
to  its  summit,  j)robaIily  owinii:  to  the  condensation  of  llic 
nioisturi!  ill  i)assing  over  the  scr  produeing  ft  dani)M'r 
climale  ;  and  I  am  strengthened  in  this  opinion,  since  \i)\\ 
^lartins  says  that  the  trees  hicreasc  hi  height  in  goiiiu'  iiji 
the  serra. 

West  of  the  serra  a  more  level  country  succeeds,  and  va^w- 
tiiiues  to  Villa  Nova  da  Rainha,  southwest  and  north  of 
"which  arc  mountains  which  show  in  their  valleys  Jii'jii 
catinga  woods  and  a  comi»aratively  thick  covering  ol'  It  r- 
tilc  soil.  From  Villa  Nova  Spix  and  Martins  made  a  riijiiil 
j(Mirney  to  Monte  Santo,  to  visit  the  great  meteorolitc  ot' 
Bemdcgo. 

The  way  ascends  gradually,  with  occasional  patches  of 
catinga,  to  the  fiizenda  called  Coche  d'Agua,  on  the  west 
side  of  the  Serra  de  Itauba.  The  hills  at  the  liase  of  tlie 
mountains  arc,  like  the  serra  itself,  of  gneiss-granite. 
"The  rock  is  for  the  most  part  bare,  but  here  and  tlicro 
a  thickness  of  from  four  to  five  feet  of  reddish  clay  lies  in 
the  shallow  hollows  Avhicli  the  Scrtanejos  excavate  to  a 
dej)tli  of  several  feet  in  order  to  make  tanks  for  the  keeping 
of  the  rain-water.  In  these  hollows  numerous  ))oncs  of 
ancient  animals  are  found,  for  the  most  part  in  a  broken 
state,  and  so  scattered  that  one  hardly  dare  hope  to  find  a 
complete  skeleton.     The  bones  in  a  recognizable  condition 


PROVIXCK   OF   BAIIIA,  —  INTERIOR. 


325 


wiiicli  wc  luul  the  opportunity  to  gntlicr  iirc  the  under  jaw, 
a  vfi'tcl)ra,  ai"l  a  |»iiit  ol"a  slionldci-hhuk'  ol' a  mastodon." 

At  the  I'azcnda  eallcd  Harripi  MoUo  .similar  hones  were 
Ibiiiul,  and  at  Mundo  Novo  and  I'edra  Vermelha  Sj»i\  and 
Martins  fonnd  in  a  latKine  the  head  of  a  I'ennn-.  (Jther 
luralities  lor  these  fossil  remains  mentionecl  hy  \'(in  ^hirliuH 
arc  the  Fazenda  de  Siio  (lonzalo  and  Culdeirues,  and  at  the 
Fa/ciida  Can(;am;ao,  near  (he  ^h)nte  Santo. 

Moiite  Santo  is  an  isolated  hill  ol"  miea  slate  whieh  has  a 
X.-S.  strike.  The  height  of  the  mountain  is,  aeeording-  to 
a  liarometrical  measurement,  ahout  seventeen  htuulred  and 
.sixty  feet  ahovc  the  sea.  The  rock  is  said  to  eontain  dis- 
tliciic.  In  the  vicinity  arc  several  .scrras  characterized  hy 
Vou  Martins  as  resembling  one  another  in  their  "  rounded- 
olC,  long-drawn-out  ridges,  without  steep  sides,  gaps,  or  rug- 
god  •■lil'l's,"  the  whole  heing  covered  with  catinga  vegetation. 

At  a  place  called  IJemdego,  near  Miuite  Santo,  Spix  and 
Martins  examined  an  enormous  block  of  meteoric  iron,  al- 
ready visited  by  Mormiy  *  in  1811,  and  Yon  j\Iartius  gives  a 
luni-'  description  of  it  in  his  Reisc,  to  which  the  reader  is 
referred.  It  Avas  discovered  in  the  year  1784  l)y  a  man  who 
was  searching  for  a  lost  cow.  Coming  under  the  notice  of 
the  Governor,  an  attempt  was  made  to  carry  it  off,  under 
tlio  impression  that  it  was  silver  ;  Init  the  cart  broke  down, 
anil  Spix  and  Martins  found  it  long  afterwards  lying  in  a 
'iiiHik  nearly  1)uried  with  sand.  They  give  the  greatest 
k'nirth  at  eighty  Paris  inches,  the  greatest  breadth  43|", 
and  the  greatest  height  84^".t     The  specific  weight  was 

*  riiil.  Transactions,  18IG,  p.  270. 

^  Moniay,/oc.  tvV.,  f^ivcs  its  dimensions  as  7  X  4  X  2  feet,  the  cubic  contents 
•it-'S  It'ot,  and  the  weight  of  the  whole  mass  at  14,000  pounds.  See  Dana's 
^^■■^ti'ni  of  Mincralorry,  p.  16.  IMorn.ay's  paper  is  accompanied  hy  a  plate, 
^howin-  clie  shape  of  the  meteorite.     Von  JIartius  also  fi-rures  it  in  his  atlas. 


'  I. 


326 


GLOLOGY   .AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


7.731.  Tlicy  estimated  the  weight  of  tlic  whole  lilork  at 
17,-jOO  Paris  jjuuiids.  Fragments  ol"  the  masjs  were  cut  uli' 
and  carried  to  Euroi)e,  wlierc  they  were  examiiuMJ  hv 
Fici^entscher.  Woliaslon  had  ah'cady  made  a  chemical 
analysis  of  it.  The  latter  found  it  to  contain,  iron,  UO.l ; 
nickel,  3.U  ;   while  Fickentschcr  obtained 


Iron 
iS'ickcl 

Mixture  of 


9G.10 
5.71 

.4G 

98.07 


The  prepared  surfaf^c  showed  the  "Widmannstadtian  Cv;- 
urcs. 

In  tlic  vicinity  of  Bemdego  were  found  some  stramrc 
characters  ])aintcd  on  a  rock,  apparently  by  Indians,  and 
Von  j\Iartins  gives  a  slcctch  of  them  in  the  atlas  accom- 
panying liis  worlc. 

"Burton*  gives  a  long  list  of  localities  in  Bra/.il  in  whirl) 
hiscriptions  occur  cither  engraved  in  or  ]iaintc(l  ujniii 
stone,  and  he  figures  a  number  of  the  lnerogly]ihi('s  he 
observed  on  the  lianksof  the  Sao  Fi'ancisco,a  sliort  distance 
above  the  rapids  of  Itaparica.  lie  gives  also  copies  of  cer- 
tain otluM*  g]y))hs,  observed  by  Mv.  C.  II.  Williams,  of  l!a- 
hia,  on  tlu^  Rio  Panema,  one  of  the  influents  of  the  Lower 
Siio  Francisco.  Characters  of  tliis  sort,  which  his  ]\Iajcsty 
the  Empei'or  of  Brazil  has  supposed  to  be  the  work  of  ma- 
roon negroes  or  QuiJonibriros,  but  wliich  Burton  refers  lo 
the  Indians,  ajipear  to  lie  very  common  in  numerous  locali- 
ties on  the  Lower  Sao  Fi-ancisco  and  in  the  northwestern 


»  lli-hli\ncls  of  the  Bnizil,  Vol.  II.  Chap.  XXVII. 


PIIOVIN'CE   OF   BAIIIA,  —  INTERIOR. 


:]27 


]iart  of  the  i)roviiice  of  13aliia.*  A^on  ]\I;u'tins  speaks  of  liav- 
iiiu  lound,  in  the  niunediate  vie'iuity  of  ihe  hjcahly  hv  de- 
MTil.cs,  fragments  of  Indian  i)ottery,  sliowing  that  tliero 
had  anciently  been  an  Indian  encanii)nient  on  flie  spot. 
He  al'tL'i'waid  found  rock  sculi)turings  on  the  banks  of  the 
Jaj)ur;i. 

Xi'ur  the  Villa  Nova  da  Rainha  is  the  Scrra  do  Cado 
brain),  which  is  described  as  a  granite  hill  covered  in  places 
uitli  a  layer  of  red  clay  affording  gold. 

Fioni  \'iIlaNova  towards  Juazeiro  the  road  leads  for  some 
six  Ifagues  through  catinga.  The  rock  for  the  whole  dis- 
taiiLc  appears  to  be  gneiss,  often  with  j)istacite,  and  the 
row  '  i  quite  even.  Granite  blocks  lie  strewn  about  over 
i:;''  ce,  with  loose  pieces  {Fundling-e)  of  verdegris-col- 
orcd      artz,  fibrolite,  schorl,  and  conunon  ()j)al.f 

F  1  Joazeiro,  Spix  and  j\Iartius  made  an  excursion  to 
llioriio  de  Salitrc  to  visit  a  locality  where  salt  was  extracted. 
This  river  flows  into  the  Sao  Francisco  from  the  south,  about 
a  loauuc  to  the  west  of  Joazeiro.  Accoi'ding  to  Von  Martins, 
tJR'  rock  in  the  vicinity  of  the  town  is  granite.  Going  west- 
isuutliwcst  towards  the  Rio  de  Salitre  this  rock  was  soon  left, 
and  whitish-yellow  dolomite  succeeded.  Burton  says  that 
at  its  mouth  the  Rio  de  Salitre  has  tall  banks,  wdiite  with 


*  Mr.  Wallace,  in  liis  Travels  on  the  Amazon  and  Kio  \oj;ro,  doscrihcs  sim- 
ilar iiirtiuvwririn^s  as  occurring:  fit  Monta  Alcgrc,  tSorjia,  at  several  localities 
oil  the  liio  Xei,n-o,  and  on  the  Uaupes. 

t  'I'lic  Bahia  and  Siio  Francisco  llailroad  is  to  terminate  at  Joazeiro.  Ac- 
ofinliir:  to  the  survey  of  Vivian,  Joazeiro  is  set  down  as  O.'iO  feet  above 
tlie  sea.  Ilalfeld  gives  the  height  of  the  river  at  this  point  at  1383  palmas  (998 
fuetl. 

From  a  MS.  map,  furnished  me  by  !Mr.  Nieolny,  showing  the  line  of  Vivian's 
survey,  I  take  the  following  heights  of  jilaccs  along  the  line  :  — 

Alagoinhas,  300  feet.  Agoa  Fria,  763  feet.  Coite,  l,14.'i  feet.  Faz.  da  Sta. 
Liuia,  1,IUG  feet.     Qucimadas,  888  feet.    Faz.  da  Arueira,  1,997  feet. 


328 


GEOLOGY  AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


tlie  finest  limestone.  Passing  the  limestone  band,  Yon  Mar 
tins  describes  a  band  of  finely  bedded  mica  slate  coniposi^i 
of  crystalline  quartz  grains  and  Avliite  or  bright  brown  mica, 
A  clay  slate  of  a  dark  green  color,  highly  laminated,  ainl 
containing  crystals  of  magnetic  iron  ore  or  pale  flesh  red  oi' 
bluish,  with  chlorite,  occu})ies  a  large  area  along  the  river. 
This  roclc  sometimes  passes  into  mica  slate. 

Associated  with  it  are  greenstone  and  gray  linicstono. 
with  garnet,  and  folia  of  chlorite,  and  mica  slate.  At  the 
Fazenda  Aldca,  l)et\vcen  the  hills  of  the  last-named  lunna- 
tion  and  the  river,  Von  ]\Iartius  descriljes  a  fiat  ]»iece  of 
ground,  about  00,000  s([uare  feet  in  area,  over  wliirh  the 
soil  is  higldy  impregnated  with  salt.  There  arc  many  (itlur 
similar  localities.  The  soil  is  alluvial,  and  deposited  liy  the 
river.  It  is  ochre  yellow  in  color,  and  contains  more  or  los 
of  pcljbles  and  vegetable  material.  After  a  rain  or  freshet 
has  covered  this  soil,  and  the  sun  has  dried  it,  an  cffioresecncp 
of  salt  appears  on  the  surface.  It  is  not  pure,  and  it  ap- 
pears to  contain  sulpliate  of  lime,  chloride  of  lime,  ciiloiide 
of  magnesia,  and  salti)ctre. 

The  basin  of  the  Silo  Francisco,  from  the  Rio  Ycrde  iioitli- 
ward  to  the  Rio  de  Halitre,  is  extensively  covered  by  saliiio 
dej)0sits,  and  some  of  the  streams,  as,  for  instance,  tlie  Rin 
Verde,*  a  river  navigable  for  some  distance  for  canoes,  aiv 
brackish.  Von  Martins  says  :  "  To  the  west  tlie  mountains 
Avithdraw  themselves  still  farther  from  the  stream,  and  llu 
country  consists  of  a  uniform,  diy  plain,  grown  up  with  uiass 
and  low  !)ushes.  Here  one  sees,  especially  in  the  low  phioos, 
and  particularly  aftei;rain,  white  crusts  of  salt  weatiier  out, 
and  tUc  places  where  it  makes  its  appearance  most  abundaiit- 

*  Burton  remarks  that  the  fish  seemed  to  be  attracted  in  swarms  by  the  brack 
ish  streams. 


PROVINCE   OF   BAHIA,  —  INTERIOR. 


329 


ly  ^'l^,croas,  salines)  arc  the  salt-mines  of  the  inhabitants." 
Tlu'se  mines  lie  sometimes  at  a  great  distance  from  the 
livtT.  The  salt  is  collected  l)y  scrai»ing  up  the  crust  of 
salt  from  the  earth,  mixing  it  with  water  to  separate  tlic 
earthy  impurities,  and  then  allowing  the  salt  to  crystallize 
out  l»y  the  heat  of  the  sun. 

liurton  says  that  sometimes  the  liquor  is  "  strained  in 
bdiiL^-Krs  (coppers  or  hides)  evaporated  over  the  lire  and  al- 
IdwimI  to  crystallize."  >^alt  made  in  this  way  must  of  course 
vary  very  nmch  in  quality,  and  there  is  every  gradation 
IVoiu  almost  jmre  salt  to  a  useless  dirty  vai'iety  bitter  with 
inag-nosian  salts.  The  oi'igin  of  the  salt  of  the  "^ao  Fran- 
cisco valley  is  unknown.  So  far  as  we  know,  no  deposits 
uf  rock-salt  *  occur.  The  amcjunt  of  salt  manufactured  on 
the  Sao  Francisco  is  insufficient  to  meet  the  demand,  and 
iniicli  sea  salt  finds  its  way  overland  by  way  of  Joazeiro. 

Mr.  Allen  has  been  kind  enough  to  give  me  the  following 
iiute  on  the  salt  of  the  8ao  Francisco  valley. 

''  A  saline  efflorescence  occurs  at  innumerable  localities  in 
the  (liier  portions  of  the  Brazilian  })lateau,  as  in  other  arid 
districts,  Imt  chiefly  along  the  banks  of  the  streams.  At 
Jueni'e,  situated  about  midway  between  Chique-Chiquc  and 
Jacobinn,  the  efflorescence  arising  in  the  dry  months  from 
tlic  animally  overflowed  banks  or  bottom  lands  of  the  Riacho 
di)  Jacarc  is  scraped  up  at  intervals,  of  course  Avith  more  or 
less  onrth,  and  the  whole  leached.  The  lye  thus  obtained 
is  placed  in  small  troughs  to  be  evaporated  by  the  sun,  by 
which  means  a  small  quantity  of  impure  common  salt  is  ob- 


*  Atronling  to  tlie  Enji^incer  Ncsbitt,  rock-salt  occurs  below  Chasuta,  on  the 
Hio  Iliuillaga,  one  of  the  great  trihutarii'S  of  the  Aniazonas,  and  he  says  that 
the  liiiiiks  of  the  river  for  more  than  a  league  are  inirc  roek-salt!  (Brazil  and 
Brazilian?,  p.  578.) 


'  i 


'^}.. 


0'>n 


GEOLOGY   AND   PIIYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


taincd.  At  times  tlie  amount  of  other  accompanying:  saline 
compounds,  as  snlpliatc  of  magnesia,  ttc,  is  so  great  us  to 
render  it  (piitc  unlit  for  use.  Tliougli  the  river  bottoms,  or 
the  overflowed  jjortions  of  their  valleys,  afford  the  priii(i]i;il 
sources  of  native  salt,  the  borders  of  the  half-dried  Ijignons 
nut  unfrequently  abound  with  a  similar  cfnorosccnce,  Sudi 
salt  licks  occur  as  far  south  at  least  as  Januaria,  whryo 
they  arc  numerous.  From  this  fact  the  city  is  more  com- 
monly known  in  the  neighborhood  as  Salg-ado  than  ly  ihe 
name  of  Januaria. 

"The  banks  of  the  low^r  portion  of  the  Rio  das  A'(11ki> 
arc  also  remarkable  for  a  similar  thick  incrustation  of  uluit 
api)eared  to  be  nearly  pure  sulphate  of  magnesia.  This 
incrustation  is  often  of  considcral)le  thickness,  appcai'iiiij- 
not  unlike  thick  hoar-frost.  To  the  presence  of  these  saline 
impurities  in  the  waters  of  the  streams  of  many  port  ions  nf 
IMiiias  is  attriljuted  the  great  prevalence  of  the  disease 
known  as  goiti-e,  that  occurs  there  with  such  frequency. 

"  Most  of  the  streams  of  Bahia  arc  brackish,  at  least  in 
the  dry  season." 

"  At  Jacarc  the  apparatus  I  saw  in  use  in  the  manudic- 
turc  of  salt  was  extremely  rude,  a  section  of  a  hollow  tree 
serving  for  the  leaching-tub,  and  small  logs  iK^llowcd  out 
for  cvai)orating-vessels. 

Saltpetre,  as  al)ove  remarked,  occurs  with  the  salt  over  a 
large  area  in  the  provinces  of  Bahia  and  Minas  Gcraes :  but 
in  the  limestone  region  of  the  Sao  Francisco  valley,  wlioro 
caves  arc  abundant,  it  is  found,  as  we  have  already  seen, 
mixed  with  the  earth  in  the  bottom  of  the  cav(^s.  A  uu 
Martins  says  that  fifteen  leagues  up  the  Rio  do  Salitre  tlior" 
are  extensive  caverns  excavated  in  limestone  and  fdled  with 
a  black  earth  containing  ff^  of  saltpetre.     The  process  of 


PROVINCE   OF   BAIIIA,  —  INTERIOR. 


331 


extraction  is  very  simple.  The  earth  is  lixiviated  with  hot 
or  colli  water,  and  the  lye  is  reduced  in  strength  l)y  evapo- 
ratiu'i  until  the  saltpetre  crystallizes  out.*  "When  salt 
occurs  mixed  with  the  saltpetre  the  lye  ol)tained  by  the 
lixiviiition  of  the  earth  is  first  evaporated  down  sufficiently 
to  allow  the  salt  to  crystallize,  after  which  the  saltpetre  is 
olitaincd  by  further  evaporation. 

Saltpetre  is  quite  largely  extracted  in  some  parts  of  the 
?uo  Francisco  valley,  and  on  the  Rio  das  Velluis.  Burton 
says  that  on  the  Upper  Rio  das  Velhas  it  sells  for  10  •f' 000 
(altout  8-3.00)  per  arroba. 

Fioni  Carunhanha  to  Urubu  the  Siio  Francisco  flows 
through  a  flat  country,  Ijordered  here  and  there,  at  a 
ifiTatcr  or  less  distance  from  the  river,  by  isolated  hills  and 
riduos.  Just  below  the  Rio  Carunhanha  is  the  Serra  da 
Lajia,  composed  of  limestone  f  of  a  l)luish  color,  and  hori- 
zniitally  stratified.  Below  Urubu  the  river  valley,  accord- 
ing to  Burton,  becomes  more  contracted  and  is  bounded  by 
'•  Sci  ras,"  which  on  one  side  or  the  other  accompany  it  at 
a  short  distance.  These  serras  arc  masses  of  horizontally 
stratified  sandstone,  with  which  the  valley  was  doul»tless  at 
one  time  filled,  but  which  has  suffered  very  extensive  denu- 
dation. Burton  says  that  below  Urubu,  with  the  change  in 
the  geological  structure  of  the  valley  there  is  ushered  in  a 
change  in  the  climate  and  the  vegetation,  which  Mr.  Allen 
assures  me  is  very  marked.  The  sandstones  in  many  lo- 
calities are  descri!)ed  by  Burton,  Halfeld,  and  others  as  ita- 
cohmiite.     The    sandstone   lying   near  the  surface  of  the 

*  Burton,  Vol.  II.  p.  291. 

t  Mr.  Alloti  savs:  "I  well  remember  the  serra  of  horizontal  blue  lime- 
stone ;it  Mtid  below  Urubii  mentioned,  as  you  .state,  by  ]\Iartin.s  and  Burton. 
The  hmestonc  for  many  miles  cast  of  Chique-Chique  was  litholoRieally  of  the 
same  charaeter,  but  the  strata  there  were  inclined.     See  my  report." 


I,- 


332 


GEOLOGY   AXD  PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


tertiary  cliapadas  of  the  Jequitinlionha  basin  also  rcsenilile 
itacoliimitc.  * 

Below  the  Barra  do  Riu  Craiule  the  river  valley  is  (Jc- 
scril)ed  liv  Burton  as  broadening  and  forming  a  dead  flif, 
which  in  i)laces,  as  at  Chique-Chiquc,  is  covered  :viili 
patches  of  iilowing  sand,  reminding  one  of  an  African  desert. 

A  short  distance  below  Chi(|uc-Chiqiie,  near  'I'apcni  da 
Cima,  arc  heavy  deposits  of  magnetic  iron  ore,  which  bur- 
ton compares  ■with  the  Itabiritc  and  Jacutinga  of  (luiigo 
Socco  and  vicinity.  The  relation  of  these  deposits  ti)  the 
other  rocks  he  docs  not  give,  but  Ilalfeld  states  that  they 
have  a  north  south  conrsc. 

At  Pilao  Arcado  Burton  speaks  of  finding  a  conglomerate 
underlaid  by  soft  green  shale,  traversed  by  quartz  veins. 
Here  gneiss  makes  its  appearance.  The  Serra  do  Toniba- 
dor,  near  the  Ilha  Grande  do  Zabele,  Burton  describes  as 
composed  of  magnetic  iron  ore  resting  on  limestone.  The 
river  for  a  great  part  of  the  way  between  Cliiquc-Cliiquc 
and  Joazeiro  is  bounded  by  conical  hills  and  ridges,  ik'low 
Joazeiro  outliers  of  the  great  horizontal  sandstones,  ttc,  ap- 
pear constantly  on  both  sides  of  the  river,  and  they  con- 
tinue, as  we  shall  see  further  on,  even  below  the  fall  uf 
Paulo  Affonso.  The  bottom  rocks  arc  gneiss,  slates  of  va- 
rious kinds,  limestone,  ttc,  Init  ii  competent  geologist  has 
been  over  the  country,  and  its  structure  has  yet  to  be 
worked  out. 

*  !Mr.  Allen  pivcs  mc  the  following  note  :  "  Rospectini;  the  sandstone  occur- 
ring below  Uriihii,  Burton's  observations  and  my  own  also  a<rrce.  I  niciitinn 
them  in  my  note  as  quartzites  and  qnartzosc  sandstone.  I  could  see  no 
difference  between  them  and  those  observed  200  miles  to  the  eastward  at 
Olhos  d'Agua  and  in  the  Jacobina  Taboleiro.  Near  Jacobina  1  observed  iWm 
also  disintegrated,  forming  beds  of  white  quartz  sand  on  the  declivities  of  soir.e 
of  the  hills."  The  term  "  itacolumite"  is  very  loosely  used  by  travellers,  and 
is  applied  to  compact  schistose  sandstone  as  well  as  to  the  true  itacolumite. 


GEOLOGY   OF   THE   VICINITY   OF   SAO   SALVADOR. 


883 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


PROVINCE    OF    BAIIIA,   GEOLOGY    OF    THE    VTCIXITY  OF    SAO    SAL- 
VADOR   AND    THE    BAHIA   AND   SAO    FRANCISCO   RAILROAD. 

Tnpnf.Tapliy  of  the  Vicinity  of  Sao  Salvador  du  Baliia.  —  Tlie  U|)pcr  aud 
Lower  Cities.  —  Tiie  ropuiatioii,  lilc. — Tlie  Ilarhor.  —  T'lie  Coiniuerce  of 
tliu  City  and  Province.  —  Tlie  Climate,  i.^c.  —  The  Haliia  Steam  Navination 
C(iin]iany.  —  The  Bahia  and  Sao  I'ranei.-^co  Railroad.  —  Tlie  riirn;xiiassii 
Steam  Tram-road.  —  The  Gneiss  of  Bahia.  —  Decomposition.  —  Drift  Dc- 
]u)>its  —  Consolidation  of  Beaches.  —  Stone  Reef  at  Rio  Vermcllio.  — 
Bluwn  Sands  coverinjj  the  Drift  of  the  Hills.  —  Mr.  Allport's  Description  of 
the  Cretaceous  Beds  of  ]Monserrate  and  riatafornia.  —  Fossil  Fishes,  Croco- 
diles, &c.  —  Description  of  several  sjiecies  of  Fossil  Molliisks.  —  Cretaceous 
Boils  of  riatafornia  and  Vicinity. — Prof.  Marsh's  Notice  of  the  Re]ttilian 
licnuiins  — Fossil  Fishes  at  Aj^ua  C'om]irida.  —  CJueiss  at  the  Rio  .loliannes. 
—  Talioleiros  and  Sand  Plains  of  Camassari. — Peculiarities  of  the  Tojjo- 
gra]ihy  of  the  Tertiary  Hills. —  Tabatinjra  Clay.  —  Sand  Plains  and  Ta- 
bokiros  of  the  Imhucahy.  —  Peat-Bog.  —  Drift.  —  Diamond-washings  at 
Pitaii^ra.  —  Cretaceous  Strata  at  Pqjuca.  —  Piassahas. — Canijios  of  Ala- 
goiniias.  —  Tertiary  Hills.  —  Character  of  Vegetation. 

The  sca-coast  line  going  sontliward  don1)lcs  sharply  nortli- 
ward  on  itself  on  reaching  the  month  of  the  Bahia  de  Todos 
OS  f^autos,  forming  a  sharp  peninsula  or  cajje  directed  south- 
^vard  and  terminating  in  the  point  St.  Antonio.  This  point, 
wliieli  is  composed  of  gneiss,  is  ahont  four  miles  long,  and 
has  a  mean  elevation  of  about  two  hundred  feet.  On  the 
osaward  side  the  land  is  hilly,  the  hills  being  often  hcmi- 
splierical  or  hemi-elliptical,  and  presenting  very  remarkaldy 
regular  outlines.  On  the  coast,  as  in  the  case  with  the  ^lorro 
do  Consclho,  and  the  hills  in  the  vicinity  of  Rio  Vermelho, 


•).>-t 


GKOLOGY  AND   PHYSICAL   GFOGRAPHY. 


flicsc  hills  arc  liare  oflroos,  so  that  their  I'oi'in  is  hoaiitiPillv 
seen.  On  the  western  side,  which  is  ()(.'eui)ie(l  hy  tiir  (ii^- 
(if  Hahia,  tliis  eajje  is  very  even  hi  height,  and  is  hoiiinli'il 
hy  a  steep,  in  sonic  cases  preeij)ituns  slope,*  which,  willi  a 
somewhat  zigzag  course,  is  continued  many  miles  to  the 
northward,  ai)i)arently  marking  the  line  of  a  IVactine. 

'J'he  citv  of  Sao  Salvador  da  JJahia,  i.sualiv  kuijwn  as 
I>ahia,  stretches  along  the  edge  of  the  hhil't"  lor  scveial 
miles.  The  rldddf  alta  is  ii'i'egularly  hut  well  hiiilt  tui'  a 
South  American  town,  and  there  are  some  heautil'ul  resi- 
denees,  es|)CcialIy  in  the  southern  part  of  the  city.  Tliciv 
are  many  churches,  some  of  which  arc  very  fine,  together 
with  schools  of  various  kinds.  Besides  these  there  is  a 
medical  college,  a  puhlic  lihrary  of  several  thousand  vul- 
unies,  a  large  theatre,  a  j)uhlic  garden,  and  a  nmseuni;  but 
the  latter  is  no  ereilit  to  the  city. 

Ikdow  the  hlnff  is  the  cidddc  haixa,  whieli  occupies  a  veiy 
narrow  strip  along  the  hay.  This  is  the  husincss  portion, 
and  though  it  for  the  most  part  consists  of  hut  one  or  two 
streets,  it  is  closely  huilt  uj)  with  warehouses  and  stores. 
Ilei'c  are  the  Alfandega,  or  custom-house,  the  markets. 
the  mai'ine  arsenal,  the  consular  olTices,  l)anks,  sevcinl 
hotels,  etc.  It  is  a  hot  and  husy  place.  The  city  stretrlics 
along  the  shore  for  several  miles  to  tlic  northeast,  foriu- 
ing  the  suhurl)S  of  ^fonscrratc  and  Itapagipe,  the  latk'r 
known  as  the  head-quarters  of  the  Bahia  Steam  Naviga- 
tion Company.     The  two  cities  arc  united  hy  very  highly 

*  "In  ion,  as  a  result  of  hcfivy  rains,  there  occurred  a  destnietivc  >liil<' 
from  the  suniniit  of  tlie  bluff,  \vhii:u  prcciiiitiited  a  large  quantity  of  eartii  upon 
the  lower  town,  destroying  houses,  burying  tiiirty  persons  alive,  and  tillini:  n;' 

half  of  the  Praia Si^iilar  slides  have  frequently  occurred  in  the  hi-t(jiy 

of  Bahia,  notwithstanding  expenditure  of  immense  sums  in  endeavoring  to 
prevent  them." —  Kidder's  Brazil,  Vol.  II.  p.  39. 


GEOLOGY   OF   TIIK    VTCINITY   OF   sAO   SALVADOR. 


335 


inclined  streets,  passable  Avitli  great  difficulty  liy  carriages 
or  teams.* 

Tlic  whole  city  nnml.ors  from  ICOjOOO  f  to  1HO,000  J 
iiilialiitants,  [jrincij tally  of  I'orliigiiose  and  iiogro  (U'scent, 
tlioiiuli  there  are  many  foreigners,  as  at  Rio.  Quite  a  num- 
licr  of  Englishmen  are  engaged  in  liusiness  there,  hut  Ameri- 
cans ai'c  lew.  The  society  is  almost  thorouuhlv  JMn'ooean- 
izcil.  and  there  is  nnieh  real  cultme  among  the  ]»eo|»le. 

The  I'ay  of  JIahia  forms  one  of  the  best  harl)ors  on  the 
nnizilian  coast,  and,  n(^\t  to  that  of  Kio,  it  is  the  most  re- 
sditiMJ  to.  It  is,  however,  so  wide,  and  the  entrance  is  so 
ciicii,  that  the  ocean-swell  rolls  in,  ja-eventing  shipping- 
lying  at  llie  (piays,  which  is  also  the  case  at  Rio.  In  ordi- 
iiaiy  weather  the  shipping  is  protected  hy  the  high  land  on 
which  the  city  stands,  hut  southwest  storms  cause  a  heavy 
swell.  The  city  owes  its  importance  chiefly  to  its  harbor, 
which  eminently  fits  it  to  be  a  jjort  for  foreign  trade,  while 
it  makes  the  city  the  centre  of  the  trade  of  the  coast  for  a 
\iws  distance  north  and  south,  as  well  as  of  the  interior. 
The  products  of  the  Suo  Francisco  and  of  Sergipe  find  their 
way  lor  the  most  part  to  Bahia.  The  borders  of  the  bay 
itscir,  or  the  Reconcavo,  so  called,  are  highly  cultivated,  and 
l>ro(hice  much  sugar,  tobacco,  ])iassaba  filire,  c^'c.  The  prinei- 
pal  product  of  the  interior  is  cotton,  which  is  cultivated  to  a 


*  A  strcot  witli  fi  rnodornte  praile  to  connect  the  two  towns  wns  in  process 
of  Iniildiii;:  in  1807.  By  this  time  it  i.s  iirobahly  completed.  Dapper,  in  his 
Awrini,  piiMished  in  1G7.3,  <:ives  a  very  curious  and  interesting'  copperplate 
eiii:raviiii;  of  the  cit\'.  He  represents  the  ujtper  city  as  huilt  on  a  plain,  sur- 
roiiiuk'il  luliind  hy  a  narrow  crescent-shaped  lake,  and  with  hiirli  mountains  in 
tlio  liMckpiound.  Two  inclined  planes  for  carriaj,'cs  elevated  by  machinerv 
are  sn'ii  unitin;^  the  upper  and  lower  towns. 

t  ronipc'o,  Georiraphin,  1864. 

t  Dr.  Candido  Mcndes  de  Almeida,  Mas,  1868. 


M. 


:v:,Cj 


GKOLOGV   AND    PHYSICAL   CroORAPIIY. 


considcrahlo  extent  in  (lie  less  arid  rojiions.  Cattl(^  arc 
raised  in  great  (jnantitics,  and  large  herds  arc  sent  into 
the  ])rovincc  fi'oni  the  eonnlry  west  and  north.  Pcrhii|..s 
no  better  idea  of  the  connneree  of  J}ahia  eonld  he  alVordcd 
than  hy  giving  the  oHiciul  tables  of  the  cxj)ort.s  during  tiiu 
year  1804-05*:  — 


Articles. 
Agoiirdcnte 
Cotton 
Sugar 
Caciui 
Coftcc 
Cigiirs 
Hides 
Diamonds 
Other  Articles 
Tobacco    . 
Woods 
Piassaba  . 


Official  Values. 
372:81  ;i81 20 

1.3();}:2778r).-);5 

G..'?10:()278r)8.3 

173:22r).$;{.-)(] 

l.GU:()(;;},S4,")() 

45:8.3!).8n()() 

35(5:00883(10 

1.381:5008000 

81:02').8O4'J 

2.000:83.38745 

237:2GG8!)!>7 

141:4378053 


The  caCin  CO  1  'S  principally  from  Ilhoos,  and  the  colTi-o 
from  the  Colonia  Leopoldina.  Large  quantities  of  good 
cigars  are  made  in  Bahia,  and  are  sold  at  a  very  low  pi'ice. 
At  Cachoeira,  or  rather  at  kSTo  Felix,  opposite,  is  a  very 
large  manufactory  of  cigars  (c/innitos')  and  cigaritos.  The 
latter  are  much  esteemed  in  l^razil.  The  hides  come  from 
the  interior  of  the  province  and  from  the  Sao  Fj-ancisco. 

I  have  in  preceding  pages  called  attention  to  the  whale- 
fishery  of  the  port. 

The  following  table  will  show  the  value  of  national  pn- 

*  Kelntorio  of  the  President,  the  Commendador  Manoel  Pinto  de  Souza 
Dantas,  Bahia,  1866,  2,  Quadro  No.  11. 


GEOLOGV    OF   TIIK    VICINITY    OF   SAO  SALVADOR.           a.".? 

d;irts  exported  to  other  provinces  during  the  hitter  lialf  of 
the  year  Ibli."):  — 

'""'•f'*-  VUIUOH. 

^^J'>J,'"*"^s 115:0:)L'8949 

^'^i^ru. 2G:()(J-i8;H8 

Espirlto  Santo           ....  9:r)l;j$.S77 

Miininhuo 27;81l'8877 

J't-rnamhuco 1.048:05()$020 

'''H"'i G0:()()S,Sl)70 

•*'i'''i'iyl'''^ 1:4858500 

Kio  de  Janeiro 3G8:4<J28'J8G 

l!i()  Cinuulo  do  8ul    ....  212:8G5S'">1 1 

^<^rg\i>e 150:9;]O.S8:}7 


2,()2():M()  78845 
Tlie  elimato  of  Baliia  is  liot,  hut  not  uuheaUhy.*  In  tlie 
lower  eity,  where  the  streets  arc  narrow  and  i)roteeted  from 
the  sea  hrcezo  Ijy  tlie  hi,uh  ground  hehind,  it  is  very  warm 
1111(1  nueomfortahle,  hut  I  have  never  suffered  so  mueli  in 
the  lower  town  from  the  heat  as  I  have  in  early  sunnner  in 
New  York.  In  the  upper  eity  the  climate  is  exeeedindy 
pleasant  and  healthy  for  a  tropical  city.  Bahia  has  .suf- 
fered at  times  from  yellow-fevcr,t  l^ut  it  has  heen  for  many 
years  remarkahly  iiealthy. 

iialiia  is  eonneeted  with  Europe  hy  two  lines  of  steam- 
^liips,  and  with  New  York  hy  the  Brazilian  mail  steamers. 
It  is  the  head-quarters  of  the  Bahia  Steam  Navigation  Com- 

*  Fur  several  years  past  Dr.  Antonio  dc  Laccrda  has  kc[.t  a  journal  of 
mctcorolo^ncal  observations  for  M.  Araffo,  l)ut  I  do  not  knoxv  tliat  tliey  liave 
.vet  hocn  pul.lishcd.  The  ciiinatc  of  Baliia  appears  to  he  n;ore  moist  than  that 
of  Hio,  and  rains  are  more  frequent,  being  distributed  tlirouii,!!  tlie  entire  year. 

t  Tompeo.  writin-  in  18G4,  says  {Gnxjraphia,  p.  449):  "Until  1849  Bahia 
"■a.s  siitliciently  healthy ;  but  since  that  turn;  the  yellow-fever  became  almost 
tnilHiiic,  attacking  with  preference  the  Europeans."    Pouipeo  is  not  quite  ac- 


Clir;;ti'  licr; 
VOL,    I 


15 


flF.OLOr.Y    AND    rilVSICAI,    (ii:OGI!Al'IIV. 


ymiiv,  unilcr  tlu;  iil)l()  (lircciioii  of  my  ostcoiued  IViond,  Mi-. 
Hugh  W'ilx)!!.  This  coniiiaiiy  has  al  incseiit  a  llcot  cil"  si\- 
tcL'ii  stoaiiicrs.  Of  these  one  rims  regiihii'ly  hetwoeii  thr 
city  and  Maeeiu,  in  the  noi'th,  ealling  at  Teueih),  and  al 
various  jmuIs  in  the  j)i'oviiice  of  Sergipo.  Ueguhir  sti'mu 
navigation  lias  heen  eslal)lisiit'd  on  the  Sao  Fi'aneisco,  IkIhw 
the  I'orlo  (his  l*iranhas.  Several  steamers  of  the  eoniimiiy 
are  engage<l  in  running  hetvveen  IJahia,  Cachoeira,  St.  Amain, 
and  vai-ious  other  points  in  the  Ueeoncavo,  and  there  is  a 
reguUir  line  j)etween  Hahia  and  Caravellas,  or  the  (.'oloniu. 

A  railr(jad  has  h(;en  comme'need  to  Joazeiro,  hul  alter 
extending  ninety  miles  in  a  northerly  direction  from  Haiiia. 
it  ends  in  a  desert  sand-})lain  at  Alagoinhas,  as  we  shall  mc. 
and  there  is  no  prospect  of  its  ending  anywhere  else  for 
sumo  years  to  come. 

From  Cachoeira  to  T'ruhu,  on  the  Sao  Francisco,  a  steam 
tram-road  has  l)een  |)rojeeled.  It  was  formally  opened  in 
July,  1<S(!7,  hut  I  have  not  learned  what  progress  it  lias 
made  n[)  to  this  time.*  The  road  will  run  nj)  the  Taiu- 
guassu  valley,  through  the  liiamond  region,  \.ith  ^ido 
branches  to  Feira  dc  Sta.  Anna  and  L(>n(;ues. 

This  raih'oad  has  a  future  before  it,  as  it  is  to  run  thioiidi 
a  much  more  im{)ortant  tract  of  country  than  the  JJuhia 
and  Sao  Francisco  Railroad. 

The  gneiss  composing  the  i)oint  on  which  Bahia  is  iniilt 
is  composed  of  a  very  com])aet,  sometimes  trap-like  variety 
of  gneiss,  not  infrequently  without  mica  and  with  v(My  in- 
distinct ])lancs  of  stratification,  as  has  already  been  observed 
by  Alli)ort  t  aiid  Darwin.  The  latter  has  given  the  fulluwiiig 
description  of  the  Bahlan  gneiss  :  :{:  — 

*  JIajor  Jmiih's  informs  me  tliiU  it  is  projwscd  to  maivc  this  a  railmail. 
t  Quarterly  Journal  Geological  Society,  Vol.  XVI.  Part  3,  p.  263. 
t  Geological  Observations,  p.  140. 


GI'.OI.OCJY    OF   Tin:    VICINITY    OF   i>\0   SALVADOK.  '.V.VJ 

"The  iircvailiii;^  rook  i.s  ^'iiciss   dltcii  passiiiir,  liy  the  (liHiippi'iir- 
MiU'C  <it"  the   i|iiiti't/ aiul   iiiicii,    and   liv  tlic   Irldsjtar   losiii;,'   its   red 
t'uliir,    into    a    lifilliaiit    u'l'ay    in'iiiiitivt;    ui-cfustoiic       NCt    iiiilVf- 
iiiiciitlv  «iiiai't/   and   hoi'iililciidt'   arc   ai'raiiucd   in    lavcrs   in   almost, 
;iiiii'i'|itions   i'rlds|iar.      Tlioru   is  sonic   tine  ;;raincd  siiiiitic  iiranitc, 
(irliiculiiriy    maiiscd    liy    rcrrn^inous    lines,    and    wcatlicrini;-    into 
vertical,    cylindi'iful    holes   almost    tonehiiii^'   each    otlicr.      In    the 
miiiss,  eonei'etit)ns  of  yranular  feldspar,  and  dtliers  of  garnets  with 
iiiiia.  oecnr.      The  j^'nc-S  is  travi'rsed  hy  numerous  dikes  composed 
dt'  liiack,   finely  erystalii/ed,  hoi'nlilcndie  rock.   containiiiLr  a   little 
i:l;is>v  feldspar  and  sometimes  mica,  and  varying'  in  thickness  from 
iiici'c  threads   to   ten   feet  ;    these  threads,    wliieh   are   often   curvi- 
liiuar,  eoidd  sometimes  be  ti'aced   runnin;,'  into  the  larger  dikes. 
One  of  these  tlike.s  was  remarkable  from  havin;;'  heen  in  two  or 
three  places  laterally  disjointed,   with    nnhroken  cneiss   interposed 
between  the  broken  ends,  and  in  one   jiai't  with  a  portion  of  tho 
<mo:ss  driven,  ap))arent]y  whilst  in  a  softened  state,  into  its  side 
or  wall.      In  several  neighboring  i)laees,  the  gneiss  included  angu- 
lar,   well  defined,    sometimes    bent    masses    of     horid)lende    rock, 
(luite  like,  except  in  being  more  ])erfectly  crystallized,  that  forming 
the  dikes,  and.  r.t  least  in  one  instance,  containing  (as  determiuetl 
l)y  Professor  Miller)  augite  as  well  as  hornblende. 

".  .  .  .  The  folia  of  the  gneiss  within  a  few  miles  romid  "Bahia 
L'oncrally  strike  irregularly,  and  are  often  eui-vilinear,  di])ping 
ill  all  directions  at  various  angles  ;  but  where  liest  defined,  they 
extended  most  frequently  in  a  X.  E.  by  N.  (or  East  00°  N.)  and 
S,  W.  by  S.  line,  corresponding  nearly  with  the  coast  line  n(jrth- 
wanls  f>f  the  bay.  T  may  add  that  Mr.  Gardner  found  in  several 
parts  of  the  province  of  Ceara,  which  lies  between  four  hundred 
and  five  hundred  miles  north  of  Bahia,  gneiss  with  the  folia  ex- 
tending 1«:.  4.")°  N.  ;  and  in  Guyana,  accordl  ■:;  to  Sir  11.  Schom- 
Imrgk,  the  same  rock  strikes  iv  57°  N.  Again,  ?Iimiboldt  de- 
scribes tho  gneiss  granite  over  f  immense  area  in  Venezuela  and 
oven  in  Colombia,  as  striking  E.  50°  X.,  and  dipiiing  to  the  X.  W. 


ri 


;;4ii 


GKOLOGY   AND    I'llYSlCAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


;it  nil  iiiiglc  of  litiy  dcgroos.  liuiiCG  all  the  obscrviitinns  liiflnitj 
iiiudo  tend  to  .show  tliut  the  gnuissic  rocks  over  the  whole  of  this 
jtart  of  the  coiitiiieut  have  tlieir  folia  extendhig  generally  within 
almost  a  point  of  tlie  compass  of  the  same  direction." 

Oil  the  surface  the  giici.s.s  i.s  in  some  jjluces  d(^com))osi(l 
io  a  great  depth,  and  so  soft  as  to  be  easily  removed  hy  a 
spade  or  mattock.  It  is  well  exposed  in  tlie  numerous  ciit- 
tinu's  on  llie  streets  in  different  parts  of  the  citv  and  vicin- 
ity.  On  the  Ladeira  do  I>om  Gusto,  on  the  southern  side 
ascending  the  hill  towards  the  cemetery,  is  a  vvi-y  heavy  ex- 
cavation, in  which  the  decomposed  gneiss  ///  si/u  is  lieaati- 
fully  shown,  and  where,  at  the  tim"  of  my  visit,  workmen  weiv 
cnttiuL!:  it  awav  with  hoes.  The  decomposition  consists  of 
a  loss  of  alkalies  on  the  })art  of  the  feldspar,  reducing  it  to 
the  state  of  kaolin.  The  iron  of  the  rock  is  oxidized  and 
stains  it  a  dee[)  brick-red,  though  the  color  is  rarely  uni- 
form, bnt  likely  to  be  in  streaks,  })ortions  of  the  rock  lieinu' 
white.  Between  the  lighthouse  at  the  bai'va  and  the  jirst 
little  point  above  to  the  westward,  the  rock  is  the  (Imk 
gneiss  above  dcscril)ed  ;  it  is  well  bedded,  but  the  stratili- 
eation  is  much  disturbed.  The  strike  here  is  N.  00°  E.  Dip 
X.  W.  o.")°.  Nearer  the  lighthouse  the  rocks  become  iniuli 
distorted  ;  there  are  here  several  large  veins  traversing  the 
rock  ;  one  trap  vein  about  nine  feet  wide  has  a  X.  S.  direc- 
tion, while  a  granite  vein  1  observed  rnns  X\  E.,  H.  W, 

Tlu!  lighthouse  is  l.)uilt  on  a  rock  which  is  joined  to  the 
mainland  by  a  narrow  and  low  isthmus.  The  road  whieh 
skirts  the  shore  crosses  this  isthmus,  making  a  eonsideralile 
exi'avation  necessary,  while  the  road  branching  off  to  go  te 
the  lighthouse  runs  through  a  similar  cutting.  The  greatest 
thickness  thns  exposed  is  twelve  feet.  The  npper  ]i;U't, 
c  c  c,  consists  of  the  ordinary  red  earth  one  finds  every- 


GKOLOGY    OF   THE   VICINITY   OF   SAO   SALVADOR. 


341 


whore  spread  over  the  surfucc  of  the  liills  at  Baliia.  In 
it  are  seen  oeeasioual  loose  irre<^ular  masses  of  (luartz  and 
llaliian  gneiss,  the  latter  deeuniposed.  The  nnder  jtart,  b  h, 
iMjiisists  ol'  an  irregular  sheet  of  boulders  of  liahian  gneiss 
iiKjre  or  less  dceonij)oscd,  sometimes  a  foot  and  a  halt'  in 
diaiiu'ter,  in  some  eases  angular,  in  olhers  rounded,  to- 
ovtiicr  with  others  of  that  jjeculiar  frialde  ([Uurtz  so  eom- 
iiKHi  in  the  quartz  veins  of  tlie  Ikdiian  peninsula,  also  either 
aiiLiulur  or  rounded  milky  quartz  pebbles,  of  all  sizes,  the 


whole  being  thrown  together,  without  any  arrangement,  in  a 
(•(infused  mass.  The  greatest  thickness  of  the  boulder  bed 
('\ji  1  ,(j(l  is  about  four  feet,  but  it  thins  out  at  a  to  only  six 
iiiclu'S,  and  is  seen  to  lie  immediately  uj)on  the  decomposeil 
ti'iu'iss. 

Tliis  is  the  most  remarkable  gravel  deposit  which  I  have 
scon  ou  the  coast.  According  to  my  estimation,  the  height 
of  tho  bottom  of  this  sheet  above  sea  level  is  twenty  to 
twoiity-fivc  feet. 

On  the  eastern  side  of  the  lighthouse  the  gneiss  is  much 
liidkoii  up  and  faulted.  There  arc  here  some  interesting 
granite  veins,  in  which  the  materials  are  seen  to  be  very 
coarsely  crystallized  on  the  side  of  the  fissure,  while  the 
oiTstals  of  the  middle  of  the  vein  arc  very  small.  Near 
this  place  I  found  gneiss  of  a  light  color,  full  of  garnets, 
almost  vertical,  and  with  a  strike  of  N.  20°  E. 

< Icing  uj)  the  beach  and  passing  the  first  little  point,  one 
oliscrves  a  sheet  of  a  soft  dark  brownish  or  yellowish  sand- 


342 


GEOLOGY   AND   TIIYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


stone  lying-  against  the  lilllsidc,  and  extending  from  near  low- 
tide  mark  to  a  height  of  some  fifteen  to  twenty  feet.  'J'his 
sand  has  l)een  evidently  washed  or  hlown  uj)  from  the  slioiv 
over  the  hillside.  The  grains  of  sand  in  this  rijck  are  vnv 
fine  and  uniform,  and  the  whole  is  loosely  cemented  liy 
oxide  of  ii'on. 

I  had  ol)served  that  the  red  drift  coating  in  no  ])la('e  caini' 
down  to  tlu^  surface  of  the  sea,  ])ut  that  it  was  invaiiiililv 
worn  away  up  to  ahout  that  level  to  which  the  waves  musr 
have  reacdied  at  the  time  when  the  late  rise  of  the  Inml 
hcgan.  ]}elo\v  that  lino  the  hillsides  were  hare  and  tli^ 
rock  surface  broken  and  irregular.  1  found  that  the  saiiils 
just  described  overla])pcd  the  drift  and  in  part  prolcctcil  ir. 
but  the  waves  had  washed  away  a  portion  of  it,  so  that  thr 
drift  is  seen  underlying  the  sands  and  extending  to  licluw 
half-tide  mark,  showing,  I  think,  conclusively  that  the  laml 
was  more  elevated  when  the  drift  was  deposited  than  it  is 
at  present. 

The  seaward  sides  of  several  uneiss  hills  ai'e  liarcd  am! 
much  broken  up  by  the  waves,  which  beat  heavily  on  iliis 
coast.  It  is  interesting  to  ol)scrvc  the  exceedingly  invnii- 
lar  surfaces  develoj)ed  by  this  action,  and  how^  the  lianhr 
rocks  become  prominent  Avliilc  the  softer  arc  washed  away. 
This  gneiss  is  of  the  same  general  character  as  that  at 
the  Barra,  though  it  varies  much  in  color  and  general  ap- 
pearance. 

At  the  lighthouse,  and  especially  to  the  eastwanl.  ilie 
beach  is  partially  solidified  by  the  cementing  together  o^  its 
materials  Ity  the  lime  derived  from  shells.  The  shiiido  ot' 
the  beach  and  the  sand  and  gravel  packed  away  in  ciiicks 
in  the  rocks  become  cemented  solidly  together.  "Where  ilio 
beach  is  composed  of  sand,  it  is  converted  into  a  very  hard 


GEOLOGY   OF   THE   VICINITY   OF   SAO   SALVADOR. 


sandstone  np  to  a  level  eonsidei-aldy  al)()vc  half-tide,  and  in 
tliis  sandstone  the  strueturc  and  irregniar  bedding  of  the 
U;ii'li  arc  l)eantit'nlly  jtreserved.  A'eiy  eonmKJidy,  after  this 
sulidilication  has  taken  plaec  to  some  depth,  the  iiewly  made 
lock  is  washed  bare,  and  broken  m\>  by  the  waves.  In  this 
ease  if  forms  detaehed  masses,  sometimes  an  extensive 
>hvrl  of  sandstone,  whieh  aj)i)ears  to  erop  ont  on  the  beach 
witli  a  seaward  dip  of  a  I'vw  degrees,  wiiatever  tlie  trend 
(if  tlu,'  beach  may  be.  Masses  of  this  kind  wc  find  at  hiter- 
vals  on  the  shore  between  13om  Fim  and  Bahia,  and  on  the 
(Dast  thence  to  Rio  Yermelho.  The  sandstone  of  this  reef 
or  ^(ihdified  beach  often  contains  layers  of  coarse  materials 
as  well  as  ail  abnndance  of  shells,  the  latter  usually  broken, 
liur  sometimes  perfectly  preserved,  and  with  their  colors 
iinite  fresh. 

It  is  veiy^  interesting  to  see  liow  tliis  consolidation  goes 
on.  On  a  long  sand  beach  one  may  trace  it,  sometimes,  in 
■jvory  stage  of  progress.  It  frecpiently  hapitens  that,  owing 
]ire!ial)ly  first  to  a  heavy  storm,  a  ridge  is  thrown  np  behind 
the  beach.  This  ojjposes  a  l)arrier  io  the  sea  for  a  long  time 
thi'real'ter,  and  may  inci'casc  in  lieiglit  ami  extent  from  the 
drift  of  the  sand  liy  the  wind,  wliicli  is  very  likely  to  take 
I'lace,  ospecially  wlien  the  shores  have  a  northerly  trend,  on 
ai'Cdunt  of  the  prevalence  of  northeast  winds.  Along  tliis 
line  shells  are  thrown  np  in  great  (piantities  and  buried 
ill  the  sands.  These  shells  become  dissolved  by  the  water 
soaking  through  the  sands,  whether  salt  or  fresh,  and  the 
cailionato  of  lime  thus  '^crived  is  deposited  as  a  cement 
to  th(^  materials  of  the  beach  to  a  height  somewhat  al)ovc 
half-tide,  I'arely  ever  to  high-tide  mark.  The  copious  rains 
innst  tend  notably  to  this  result,  and  the  waters  from  marsh 
lands  soaking  tlirou'jrh  the   beach  must  also  assist  in  the 


344 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY/ 


solidifying  process.  Sometimes,  after  the  solidification  of 
the  lower  part  of  the  beach,  the  loose  i)arts  arc  swept  uwov 
by  a  storm,  it  may  be,  sometimes,  by  the  bursting  of  die 
barrier  by  the  freshet  of  a  river,  whicb  has  inundated  tlir 
low  grounds  behind.  In  this  case  the  beach  is  left  stand- 
ing like  a  wall  running  in  the  water  })arallel  to  the  tdast. 
Such  a  reef  is  seen  at  Kio  A'ernudho,  where,  after  skirtiin; 
the  shore  for  some  distance,  it  jirojects  })artially  across  the 
mouth  of  a  little  bay,  like  a  wall  or  breakwater  of  rock. 

The  reef  at  Rio  Vermelho  illustrates  very  well  the  gcncial 
character  of  these  consolidated  beaches.  It  is  comp()^(Ml  di' 
layers  of  calcareous  sandstone  and  conglomerate,  often  some- 
what irregular,  (li})ping  seaward,  the  dip  being  only  a  W'w 
degrees,  or  about  that  of  an  ordinary  sand  beach.  T\\v  licJLiiit 
of  the  reef  is  very  imil'orm.  In  the  finished  and  isolatcil 
reefs,  as  that  of  rernaml)uco  and  the  one  under  considera- 
tion, the  re(;cnt  rise  of  the  land  has  brought  this  level  sume- 
what  aljove  that  of  the  sea. 

The  solidified  portion  is  seen  to  1)C  but  a  sheet  of  varying 
thickness  lying  on  the  surface  of  the  beach.     On  the  inner 


MighWater. 


side  It  is  quite  thin,  and  from  the  action  of  water  behind  it 
is  undermined  and  l)roken  off,  until,  at  last,  it  forms  a  low 
perpendicular  wall,  imdermined  l)elow  and  sometinios  pro- 
jecting several  feet.  Usually  this  side  of  the  reef  is  flanked 
by  a  slope  of  sand  or  nuid,  and  sometimes  by  large  oblonir 
blocks  of  the  sandstone. 


GEOLOGY   OF   THE   VICINITY   OF   SAO   SALVADOR. 


34.3 


Tlie  snrfaco  of  ihc  roef  is,  l)roadly  speaking-,  horizontal, 
hut  it  is  marked  In-  longitudinal  ridges  and  nuicli  worn 
awiiy,  sometimes  honeycombed  and  exceedingly  rough,  wilh 
hiruc,  sliallow  or  deep,  ii'regular  j)0()ls  of  water,  the  homes 
of  s('V(M'al  species  of  corals,  etc.  The  whole  mass  is  divided 
liy  joints  into  great  blocks.  On  the  seaward  cd^^c  tlio  reef 
is  (it'ifii  woi-n  away  by  the  waves  and  undermined,  present- 
iuL'  always  a  perpendicular  wall  to  the  sea.  The  upper  lied 
;iliii()>t  always  projects  a  little,  and  great  Idocks  broken 
fruin  it  lie  in  front,  which  afford  some  protection  to  the  reef. 
Our  lift  en  finds  a  depth  of  twelve  to  fifteen  feet  or  more  at 
Uv  tide  along  this  side  of  the  reef.  In  most  cases  corals 
iridWdii  the  faces  of  these  reefs  l)elow  low  water. 

The  reef  rock  is  quarried  quite  largely  at  IJahia,  as  well 
as  at  Pcrnambuco,  for  building  purposes,  and  in  both  cities 
it  has  been  used  for  flagging.  In  the  sidewalks  of  the 
upper  town  at  Bahia  one  may  sec  it  in  large  I  ducks  which 
•.W'}  full  of  shells  of  species  now  common  on  the  coast. 

Going  lUM'thward  beyond  the  ]\rorro  do  Conselho,  the 
iinciss  hills  recede  more  and  moi'C  from  the  coast,  and  low 
lauds  cniiio  in  between  them  and  the  sea.  These  I  have 
examined  for  a  short  distance  north  of  the  Morro  do  Con- 
>''llio.  The  coast  is  fringed  with  patches  and  strips  of  sands 
^vliicli.  in  part  forming  dry  plains  with  a  scanty  vegetation, 
111  part  swampy,  do  not  rise  to  a  greater  height,  as  a  general 
nile.  than  eight  to  ten  feet  above  the  sea.  Tliere  are  many 
patihos  of  this  kind  near  Rahia,  and  some  are  of  consideralilc 
t'xtout.  On  the  sea-coast  they  occupy  several  little  l)ays  ])c- 
twoon  tlie  hills.  As  we  go  northward  beyond  the  Morro  do 
Conselho  these  sands  become  wider  in  extent  and  occupy 
li^i'2'e  tracts.  The  sands  on  this  coast  are  verv  fine,  and 
■11'c  easily  raised  and  carried  by  the  winds,  so  that  exten- 

15* 


r.4G 


GEOLOGY   AND   PIIYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


sivo  s.'ind-liills  nro  foi'incd,  '.uid  the  shores  of  lla])iiiui,  a  ^vw 
leaii'iK's  iiortli  of  I5ahia,  are  white  as  snow. 

Ill  an  ('.xciirsion  inach'  aiiionu'  the  donu'-sliaped  ^nieiss  hills 
to  Ihc  cast  ol'  <he  cily  of  IJahia,  and  horderinu'  the  saiuls.  I 
ol)ser\ed  that  the  lij^lit,  white  sand  was  lilown  n[)  (Ui  tlir 
seawaiMl  side  of  some  of  the  hilis  over  the  rich  red  (h'it'i.  su 
tliat  one  half  of  a  hill  is  snow  white  and  the  other  hrick  nd, 
These  liiUs  are  cultivated  in  pUiccs,  and  it  was  very  iiitcrc^i- 
iiie  to  si>e  a  red  liehl  set  in  a  framework  of  wiiite  sands,  ihi' 
drift  soil  l)cin<i'  turned  up  in  the  process  of  tillinti'. 

The  city  of  I'ahia,  as  already  descrihed,  is  hnilt  in  ]iiiit 
on  a  low  strip  of  land,  whieh,  hcu'inning  some  tw.i  iiiiirs 
ahove  the  lit;'hthonsc  on  the  hay  side,  accompanii's  tin' 
shore  for  a  mile  or  two  liirthcr  on,  when  it  sweeps  idiDiJ 
westward,  scparatinu;  itself  from  the  gneiss  ridge,  foriuiiii 
a  long,  irn^gnlar  tongne  of  land  occupied,  by  the  subiiilis 
Je(pietaia,  Bom  Fim,  and  Ttaj)agipc. 

From  Jeipietaia  t(^  I>om  Fim  this  tongne  of  land  is  flat 
and  composed  of  recent  sands.  At  Bom  Fim  and  ^loasei- 
rate  the  land  is  higher  and  more  irregnlar,  the  heiuiit  l^hvi 
eighty  to  one  hundred  feet.  It  is  composed  of  cretaci'oiis 
strata.     Allport  says:*  — 

"  The  rocky  cliff  forming  the  southwest  of  the  hill,  (ni 
which  the  fort  of  Monscrrat  is  Imilt,  jiresents  to  view  s(  v- 
cral  alternations  of  conglomerate,  sandstone,  and  shale. 
Towards  the  northeast  these  beds  pass  into  a  gritty  shale 
of  a  bhiish-gray  color,  and  fnll  of  jiebbles ;  the  latter 
gradually  disappear,  and  the  upper  strata,  as  (iir  as  the  sea- 
ward exposed  portion  extends,  consists  of  beds  of  shale,  al- 
ternating with  bands  of  sandstone,  both  of  which  cental!! 
the  same  species  of  fossil  shells.     The  entire  series  of  these 

*  Quiii-tcrly  Journal  Geological  Society,  Vol.  XVI.  Part  3,  p.  2(j,'5. 


GEOLOGY    OF   TlIK    VICINITY   OF   SAO   SALVADOi;. 


.•34"; 


(loposils  is  covered  with  tlie  iisnnl  i-cd  loam,  and  have  ilic 
ofiicral  iiirliiiatioii  to  tlio  norlliwcsf . 

••The  seaward  exposed  posilioii  of  tlie  eliff  of  ^fdiiserrat, 
;ili,,iil  iliirly  feet  in  height,  consists  chiefly  of  conulonicrate, 
wiili  irregnlai"  wedge-shapetl  hands  ol'  shale  and  cliiy,  and 
;i1mi  liands  of  sandstone.  '^Fhe  cnnuhunerati'  is  composed  of 
iiiiiie  or  less  rounded  ])el)I)les  of  gneiss,  granite,  ([uart/,  and 
(ithrr  riTstaHin(.'  rocks,  and  (occasionally  of  sandstone,  the 
^dl^le  forming  an  extremelv  hard  rock.  The  ])ehl)les  varv 
ill  si/c  from  the  hnest  gravel  to  largo  hunlders. 

"In  the  shale,  near  the  hase  of  the  cliff,  were  found  the 
I'lissils  ahout  to  he  noticed,  consisting  chiefly  of  scales  and 
(iiIki'  ])ortions  of  fish,  hones  and  teeth  of  sauriaiis,  together 
with  lignite,  a  few  3Io//i(sca  and  some  J^tilo/iioslracd. 

"Two  miles  from  the  ahovc  hill,  in  a  northeast  dircc- 
lioii.  is  the  l^lataforma,  another  hill  of  the  same  foianation, 
liut  litflier;  the  conglomerates  and  shales  have  here  the 
same  lithological  character,  and  in  the  latter  arc  found  sev- 
rral  fossils  similar  to  those  found  at  ^fonserrat. 

'•The  geological  i)osition  of  the  al)ovo  formation  is  unde- 
ii  rmincd,  as  they  have  not  heen  traced  in  connection  with 
iiilici'  deposits  ;  hut  a  prohahle  inference  may,  perhaps,  he 
nuule  from  an  examination  of  the  fossil  remains. 

"With  regard  to  the  fish  remains.  Sir  P.  Egerton,  Bart., 
F.  ^'.  S.,  to  whom  the  specimens  have  heen  suhmitted, 
states  that  "  the  scales  arc  those  of  LrpUlotus.  The  spe- 
cies appear  to  l)e  a  new  one.  The  nearest  aj)pr(mch  to  it 
b'  an  undescrihed  species  from  the  lithographic  stone  of 
I^ili|ienlieim   [middle  oolite]. 

*' Xunierous  fish-hones  were    found    associated    with  the 

scales:  and  ])rohahly  the  greater  portion  helong  to  Lrpido- 

"s  al>o.     But  these  and  the  crocodilian  teeth  and  hones. 


U8 


GEOLOGY   AND   I'lIYSICAL   GKOGRAl'IIY, 


wliicli  arc  also  cominoii  in  these  clays  IVoiu  MoiisiMiat  aiil 
IMatal'ornia,  have  not  yet  ))ceii  sysU'inatieally  exainim  il. 
Frufessoi-  Owen,  on  a  cursory  view  ol'  the  lar<:,'e  vertiliiu. 
figured  iu  PI.  XVII.,*  suggested  that  it  would  he  a  iIoimiI 
vertebra  of  a  Dinosaiirian  re2)tilc  allied  to  the  Mr^uilo- 
saurus.''^ 

At  Monserrat  Mr.  Allport  collected  a  ^lelauia  dcsciilMMl 
by  Morris  as  Mcliuua  tcrchrij'onnis,  and  s})ecies  ol"  (nii). 
Faludina,  Ncritina  (?),  together  with  seven  s])ecies  of  cvii- 
rids,  enumerated  and  in  part  described  by  J(jnes,  iiaiiK  Iv. 
C/jpris  (?)  concu/lala,  Candona  Candida  Midi,  Cuprix  (':) 
Manser rattnisis,  Cypris  (?)  Al/portiana,  Cypris  sj).  nun  de- 
script. 

I  was  unable  to  visit  the  locality  at  the  fort,  l)iit  T  ex- 
amined the  beds  quite  carefully  near  the  Pcdra  Fuiada. 
On  the  shore,  south  of  this  last-named  locality,  are  ('V)i(imiI 
thick  beds  of  sandstone,  shale,  conglomerate,  and  liiucsfdin'. 
tlie  continnation  of  the  same  series  as  Allport  dosciilics. 
This  limestone  is  of  a  compact  tcxtni'e,  and  motllci'  \\it!i 
brown,  gray,  and  green.  It  contains  some  sand,  tuptlur 
with  little  ])el)bles  of  gneiss  and  quartz,  generally  aniiular. 
Freshly  broken,  this  rock  shows  the  fossils  very  indistinctly, 
but  on  the  weathered  surfaces  they  stand  out  in  liiu>  ii'licf, 
At  the  same  time  the  surface  becomes  granular,  as  if  it 
were  composed  of  coarse,  ronnd,  or  oval  grains  of  saml. 
These  arc,  however,  calcareous,  and  the  structure  may  W 
oolitic,  though  the  grains  look  as  though  they  had  liccii 
rounded  mechanically. 

Associated  with  this  rock  is  a  fine-textured  argillaceous, 
light  slate-colored  limestone,  in  which  there  is  no  traco  of 
this  oolitic  (?)  Btructure,  but  instead  one  finds  occasionally 

*  Quarterly  Journal,  loc.  cil. 


GEOLOGY   OF  THE   VICINITY   OF   SAO   SALVADOR. 


340 


tlic  couc-in-cono  stnicturo  l)oaiitiriilly  developed,  —  a  some- 
what unusual  circuinstauce  in  rocks  of  this  age.  In  these 
rocks,  which,  at  the  most,  I'onu  a  bed  but  two  feet  thick, 
several  species  of  shells  occur  in  iininensc  numbers.  Of 
those  Mc/auia  Icrebriformis  and  Piihidina  (  Vicipani)  La- 
ccnhc  sp.  iiov.  are  the  most  al)undant.  Species  of  Unio, 
P/iiiiorbis,  teeth  and  bones  of  crocodiles,  and  bones  of 
Diiiosaurian  reptiles  are  also  to  1)0  found  here,  together 
with  scales  and  bones  of  Lepidotus  and  other  fishes. 

This  limestone  with  its  fossil  shells  resembles  very  closely 
specimens  of  fresh-water  fossiliferous  limestones  from  the 
Wcahl  of  England. 

ThiTC  are  also  thick  beds  of  shale,  in  i)laces  l)lack  and 
finc'ly  laminated,  but  for  the  great  part  not  well  laminated 
and  very  soft,  of  a  very  light  color,  and  full  of  little  flakes 
of  mica.  In  this  shale  are  to  be  found  layers  abounding 
ill  cntomostracan  remains,  of  -which  the  most  interesting  is 
ail  estherian  with  its  valves  marked  with  concentric  ridges 
like  an  Astarte,  and  ap})arently  new.  Fish  scales  and  skele- 
tons arc  not  micommon. 

Tlicre  are  some  heavy  beds  of  sandstone  in  this  section, 
whidi  arc  seen  near  the  Pedra  Furada.  This  sandstone  is 
finc-toxtured,  soft,  and  of  a  light,  greenish-gray  tint.  It  is 
a  rare  thing  that  it  affords  fossil  remains,  and  these  arc 
iisnally  car])onized  stems  of  plants.  Von  Martins  speaks  of 
rich  l)cds  of  Blatter- Kohl  near  the  mouth  of  Itapagipe  and 
of  a  brown  coal  in  the  sandstone  near  the  city  of  Bahia. 
This  last  is  said  to  have  been  worked  for  a  short  time  ])y 
the  direction  of  the  government,  ])y  Feldner,  a  German, 
early  in  this  century.  I  saw  nothing  to  indicate  the  exist- 
ence of  coal  or  lignite  at  Bahia,  and  I  do  not  believe  that 
any  deposit  of  the  slightest  value  exists  there.* 

*  Gardner  says  that  Dr.  Parigot  found  the  Bahian  coal  to  be  lignite. 


550 


GEOLOGY  AND   PHYSICAL   GKOGRArilY- 


The  Monscrrato  fossils  clearly  indicate  a  fi'csh-water  orifrin 
for  the  Ix'iis  in  which  they  occur.  The  followinj^  arc  tliu 
iiiolhisks  thus  fur  obtained  from  this  locality  :  — 

Mtlniild  (ryrhrlfurmlH  Morris,  CJoologicul  Journal,  Vol.  XVI.  p.  "Jiiil^ 
ri.  IC),   Figs.  :\a,  Wh,  3c. 

"Shell  subulutL',  consisting  of  7-S  fluttcncd  whorls,  niarknl 
with  numerous  oblique,  somewhat  prominent,  roundL'(l  ribs,  wliirh 
arc  in  some  specimens  stronger  towards  the  anterii)r  part  of  tlir 
shell.  In  some  individuals  the  posterior  part  of  each  wlidil  is 
slightly  raised,  making  the  suture  more  distinct.  The  last  whorl 
is  somewhat  constricted.  The  aperture  is  ovate.  The  lip  of  tliu 
columella  is  somewhat  thickened  and  rctlexed."  Length  IS  unn. 
!Mr.  Morris  gives  a  tigure  of  a  smooth  variety,  with  a  less  cvliu 
drical  shell.  The  top  of  the  spire  of  the  connnon  forms  of  J/, 
terehriformi)^  is  rarely  perfect  in  adult  specimens.  The  younger 
shells  are  sharp-pointed,  and  might  be  mistaken  as  belonging  to 
another  species. 

The  test  is  usually  well  preserved,  and  the  shells  arc  sometimes 
hollow. 

Localitj',  ^lonscrratc,  and  vicinity,  TJahia.  Age,  Lower  Crctacoous. 
Collectors,  Allport,  Xicolay,  Williams,  Lacerda,  and  C.  F.  li. 

Mdania  Xicolajinna,  sp.  nov. 

Shell  miinitc,  subulate,  nearly  cylindrical,  with  six  or  more 
whorls  which  are  flatter  and  more  obli(iuc  than  in  J/,  terehrifornm. 
Sutures  distinct.     Surfiice  smooth.     Length  '2\  mm. 

This  form  occurs  associated  with  the  preceding,  but  it  is  appar- 
ently a  very  rare  shell.  I  dedicate  it  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  Nioolay,  to 
whom  I  am  under  many  obligations. 

Locality,  same  as  preceding.     Collectoi',  C.  F.  H. 

Vivijxwn  {Pahuh'na)  Lacerda.',  sp.  nov.  Geological  Journal,  Vol.  X7I. 
Plato  U,  Fig.  2. 
Shell  about  20  mm.  in  length,  ovate  conical,  usually  with  four 


GEOLOGY   OF  THE   VICINITY   OF  SAO   SALVADOR. 


351 


10    VOlllllJXT 


very  vontricoso  wIioHh  separated  by  deep  sutures,  subuinbdicate, 
smiidtli,  shell  rather  thiek. 

This  speeies  is  fij^'urud  by  Morris  as  above,  and  is  referred  to  by 
111, II  in  a  note  to  Mr.  Allport's  paper  as  havuig  "  a  smooth  shell 
suliiimhilicate,  aud  showing  four  ventrieose  whorls,  dee[)ly  sutured." 
This  shell  appears  sometimes  to  have  had  a  truncated  spine  like 
i.iir  iiiudern  V.  (\t:cmi.  It  i.'  exceedingly  common  in  the  limestones 
at  Mnnserrate,  and  is  occasioiiully  found  in  the  shales.  I  have 
wwv  seen  it  at  Plataforma.  1  take  much  jileasure  in  associating 
with  the  .  ocie.s  the  name  of  my  esteemed  friend  Dr.  Antonio  do 
haccnlii. 

Collectors,  Allport,  Nicolay,  Ljicenla,  C.  F.  H. 

Vlrijiiira  (Paludina)  Willlamm,  sp.  nov. 

Siiell  smaller  than  that  of  V.  Luccrdu:,  from  which  it  is  also  dis- 
tinguished by  being  more  conical  and  having  whorls  nnich  less 
ventrieose  and  shouldered.     Length  9-  10  mm. 

<.^•llite  common  with  the  ])receding  species  at  Monserratc. 

Collectors,  Allport,  Williams,  Nicolay,  C.  F.  H. 

PlnnDrhla  Monserrntensit^,  sp.  nov. 

Sholl  minute,  flat  above,  concave  below,  whorls  two  and  a  half 
in  nunibei',  flattened  from  above,  rounded,  increasing  rapidly  in 
witltli,  and  apparently  flaring  a  little  near  the  mouth,  which  is 
oblong,  wider  than  high.     Surfoce  smooth. 

This  pretty  little  shell  is  quite  common  associated  with  the 
Mvipara,  Melania,  &c.  at  Monseri'ate.  In  the  conglomerate  at 
Platafumia,  in  which  the  reptilian  bones  occur,  there  is  a  form 
which  much  resembles  this,  but  the  spiral  seems  more  open  aud 
the  shell  is  oblique  in  outline,  apparently  from  the  rapid  widening 
of  the  body  whorl.  This  last  may  be  a  species  of  Valvata.  The 
v.'.dtli  of  the  shell  of  the  species  just  described  is  about  2  mm. 
Collector,  C.  F.  H. 

I  mo  {Avodon  ?)  Tothmi-Sanctorum,  sp.  nov. 
Shell  small,  ovate-elongate,  compressed,  wider  behind  than  be- 


'I 


352 


GEOLOGY   AND   I'lIYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


fore,  the  ends  and  lower  margin  foiTning  u  very  regular  onrvp, 
which  is  suniewliat  stniiglitcned  lifldW.  Hinge  line  nuich  filiortir 
than  shell.  I'niho  (|uite  jtrnminent,  strongly  and  broadlv  flaf- 
toned  hy  a  wide  and  shallow  hut  well-tnarke<l  depression  uliich 
runs  downward  but  obliciuely  backward  across  the  valves,  givin:; 
to  the  shell  the  appearance  of  having  two  rather  prominent  Imt 
wide  ridges  extending  from  each  side  of  the  umbo,  one  obliiinciv 
forwards  widening  and  growing  lower  toward  the  margin,  thodrlio' 
much  more  oblicpicly  backwards  with  the  same  characters.  Tlif 
shell  is  rather  thick,  and  is  marked  on  the  outside  by  uuiucrous 
fine,  concentric  lines  or  wrinkles. 

Collectors,  Allport,  Nicolay,  and  C  F.  H. 


During  my  last  visit  to  Buliia  I  nndortook  a  careful  ami 
systoiuatio  examination  of  the  rocks  exposed  in  the  cut- 
tings along  the  IJahia  and  Sao  Francisco  Railroad,*  and  1 
walked  over  the  greater  part  of  the  line  to  Alagoinhas,  ex- 
tending my  observations  for  several  miles  beyond  among  the 
taboleiros. 

The  observations  made  on  this  excursion  I  give  in  detail. 
taking  them  with  little  change  from  my  field-book. 

The  Bahia  and  Sao  Francisco  Railroad,  leaving  the  station 
at  Jequetaia,  follows  the  low  sandy  ground  skirting  the 
gneiss  hills,  and  runs  along  the  northern  side  of  the  bay  of 
Itapagii)e.  At  a  distance  of  about  two  miles  from  the  sta- 
tion at  Je([uetaia  (Cah^ada),  on  jjassing  a  little  gully,  there 
are  seen  exposed  in  a  cutting  beds  of  a  loose-grained  saiul- 
stone  and  a  shale,  the  latter  being  of  a  greenish-gray  tint, 
and  very  finely  laminated,  but  too  much  decomposed  on  the 
surface  to  offer  anything  of  much  interest.     These  bods 

*  I  have  to  thank  Mr.  Mowry,  the  superintendent  of  the  niilroad,  fur  :i 
pass  over  the  line,  and  Messrs.  Tiplady,  Turner,  and  Orccchi  for  m.iuy  favors 
received  during  the  excursion. 


GEOLOGY   OF   TIIK   VHIXITY   OF   SAO   SALVADOII. 


3."3 


liavr  n  strike  of  about  iiortlu'ust,  as  near  as  I  could  make 
(lilt,  and  a  di])  of  a  very  few  degrees  to  the  uortlnvest. 

(Joing  oil  towards  the  long  bridge,  wc  meet  no  beds  well 
exposed  in  the  railway  cuttings,  but  in  a  (Hiite  deep  one  oidy 
a  sliort  distance  from  the  bridge  we  find  thick  beds  of  finely 
laminated,  dark-coh)rcd  shale,  mueli  decomj)osed,  in  which 
aiv  fossil  fishes  like  those  at  Monscrrate,  together  with  a 
MTcat  abundance  of  cyprids. 

Crossing  the  long  bridge,  the  land  on  the  o]ii)Ositc  side 
licconics  nmch  higher  and  more  irregular,  and  there  arc 
some  heavy  cuttings,  in  which,  as  well  as  on  the  sea-shore 
a:  low  tide,  the  rocks  arc  very  well  exposed.  These  consist 
of  alternate  beds  of  conglomerate  ami  dark  shale,  with 
(iccasional  layers  of  sandstone,  which  have  an  average  strike 
of  X.  00°  E.  and  a  dip  of  30"  ±  X.  W. 

The  surface  of  the  beds  of  shale,  exposed  on  the  shore  be- 
tween tides,  is  very  much  burrowed  into  by  a  marine  worm, 
which  excavates  a  tube  that  enters  the  shale  perpendicularly 
to  the  dejjth  of  an  inch  or  more,  and  then,  licnding  round 
rather  abruptly,  comes  to  the  surface  again.  A  little  crab 
also  burrows  into  the  shale  in  places,  nuiking  deep  tubes, 
whose  sides  are  corrugated  after  a  manner  that  nuikes  them 
resemble  the  empty  moulds  of  fossil  stems  of  plants  or 
coi-als,  and  they  arc  well  calculated  to  puzzle  an  observer, 
who  (lid  not  know  how  they  were  formed. 

The  decomposed  shale  has  been  used  in  the  works  of  the 
Bahia  Steam  Navigation  Com|)any  at  Itaj)agipe  as  a  iiro 
elay.  and  Mr.  Ford,  the  chief  engineer,  —  to  whom,  l)y  the 
way,  I  am  indebted  for  many  kindnesses,  —  assured  me  that 
it  answered  well  for  that  purpose. 

In  the  cutting  at  Plataforma,  which  is  a  very  heavy  one, 
theie  is  seen  a  thick  l)ed  of  shale  w^ith  occasional  l>ands  of 


354 


GEOLOGY  AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


sandstone,  affuiding  fossil  fish,  and  cyju-ids,  over  whidi  lies 
a  heavy  bed  of  conglomerate.  This  is  composed  of  fiai:- 
mcntsof  the  principal  rocks  of  the  neighljorhood,  j)rcs('ntiiiti' 
the  same  a]ipc:iruncc  as  that  of  the  beds  whence  they  weie 
derived.  The  pebbles  of  this  conglomerate,  mostly  ot' 
q  irtz  and  gneiss,  arc  of  all  sizes,  even  up  to  eighteen  or 
twenty  inches  in  diameter.  They  arc  but  slightly  rouiiilLiI, 
and  are  more  or  less  angular.  It  appears  to  be  a  dcjinsit 
rapidly  accumulated,  and  from  its  hardness  it  nov  loiins 
quite  a  high  ridge.  This  conglomerate  is  a  massive  Iml. 
showing  ill  itself  few  traces  of  stratification.  It  has  alfoidcil 
a  few  reptilian  bones.  The  same  bed  makes  its  appearaiHc 
on  the  shore  at  low  tide,  where  it  may  be  examined.  All 
these  Ijcds  are  well  displayed  on  the  shore,  the  whole  dis- 
tance from  riataforma  to  the  little  bay  of  Periperi,  and.  as 
the  strike  of  the  l)eds  is  tangental  to  the  curve  of  the  .siKire 
between  these  two  places,  and  their  dip  is  away  from  ihv 
shore,  they  may  l>e  examined  both  in  ascending  and  de- 
scending series,  and  over  a  considcral)le  area.  A'lovc 
water-mark  disintegration  makes  their  examination  very 
unsatisfactory.  Below  that  line  it  has  not  ol)tained  to  so 
large  an  extent,  and,  save  a  thin  coating  of  half-deeomiMtscil 
material  on  the  surface,  the  rocks  are  nearly  in  their  nat- 
ural state. 

About  a  half-mile  from  Plataforma,  and  where  tlie  lail- 
road  passes  close  to  the  water's  edge,  there  is  exposed  in  one 
jdacc  a  section  like  that  on  the  opposite  page,  of  which  the 
height  is  about  ten  feet. 

In  many  of  the  other  beds,  especially  in  those  wliicli  arc 
finer  in  character,  reptilian  and  other  remains  arc  quite  almn- 
dant ;  but,  owing  to  the  compactness  of  the  rock,  ih'y  aio 
difficult  to  exi;ract.     These  fossils  consist  in  spines  of  li>li, 


GEOLOGY   OF   THE   VICINITY   OF   SAO   SALVADOR. 


'355 


Shale. 


Conglomerate. 


Cougloiucrato. 

Shale. 
Buiio-boil. 

<    IIi);h-\vatcr  level. 
Shale. 


with  occasionally  a  vertebra,  bones  of  diiiosaurians,  and  a 
few  tcetli,  both  of  rc])tilcs  and  fishes.  Of  these  reptiles' 
tooth  tlic  most  interesting  arc  those  of  cwrodilcs.  'J'hese 
vfito'brate  remains  are  especially  abnndant  in  a  calcareous 
coiiiilonierate,  formiiiir  a  bed  a  foot  or  two  in  thickness,  and 
wliicli  I  have  designated  in  the  al)ove  section  as  a  I)one-l)ed. 

There  are  a  few  lieds  of  a  coarse  arenaceous  shale,  which 
afford  some  very  perfect  specimens  of  a  Teliostean  fish, 
appaieiitly  dilTerent  from  the  si)ecies  found  at  Monserrate.* 
It  is  wortliy  of  remark  tliat  this  shale,  as  well  as  some  of 
tho  other  rocks  of  this  series,  arc  bituminous  as  well  as  cal- 
oai'oous. 

The  reptilian  remains  from  Plataforma  and  i\Ionserrate  I 
l.laocd  in  the  hands  of  Professor  0.  C,  Marsh  of  Yale  Col- 
loL'c  f(»i'  description.  The  following  with  a  ^aw  unimportant 
omissidiis  is  a  notice  of  them  ])uldished  by  liim  in  the  Amer- 
ican .Journal  of  Science  and  Arts,  A'ol.  XLVIL,  May, 
iNJU :  — 

"Tho  most  interesting  of  the  reptilian  remains  collected  l)y  IVo- 

*  Several  fragments  of  the  jaws  of  fishes  liavc  tiecii  found.  One  of  ttiese, 
the  viLTlit  ramus  of  the  lower  jaw  of  u  little  Pi-mlns,  liad  the  niiiuite  shot- 
liko  tooth  ]ireserve(l.  All  the  fish  remains  from  this  locality  are  In  the  hands 
of  Professor  Agassiz.  I  regret  that  his  illness  prevents  hitn  from  furnishing 
(li'scrii)tions  of  them  for  this  work. 


35G 


GKOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


fossor  Hartt  in  tlie  I'ahia  deposit  in  the  tooth  of  a  larj^'c  Croco- 
dilian, from  tho  arenaceous  sliale  near  I'latafonna  station,  on  tin. 
Baliia  railroad.  This  specimen  is  iu  an  excellent  state  of  pri'ser- 
vation,  and  indicates  a  species  new  to  science.  It  is  larirer,  inniT 
slender,  and  more  pointed  than  the  teeth  of  existing  crocndilcs. 
rcsemhling  most  nearly  those  of  some  extinct  American  spccius. 
It  is  conical  in  form,  round  at  the  base,  and  slightly  coni])rossi.'fl 
at  the  apex.  Tho  crown  is  two  inches  and  three  lines  in  kugtli, 
along  the  outer  side,  and  ten  lines  in  diameter  at  the  iiase.  One 
edge  is  somewhat  more  convex  than  the  other,  and  this  is  also 
true  of  one  of  the  sides,  and  hence  the  tooth  a})pears  sli;,'litly 
curved  in  two  directions.  On  either  edge  of  the  crown  there  is 
a  sharp  ridge,  most  prominent  near  the  apex,  over  which  it  passes, 
but  gradually  disappearing  before  reaching  the  base,  resemljliiig  in 
this  respect  the  teeth  of  Thoracosaurus,  from  which,  h(jsvevei',  this 
specimen  differs  in  being  longer,  and  less  curved  than  tho  teetli  of 
that  genus  usually  are.  The  sides  of  the  crown  arc  covereil  with 
fine,  interrupted,  undidating  stritc,  which  ai)pear  to  be  dili'ereut 
from  the  dental  sculpture  of  the  Crocodilia  hitherto  descrilieil. 
These  strife  are  most  distinct  near  the  middle  of  the  tootii.  W- 
coming  much  more  delicate  at  the  base,  and  nearly  obliterated  at 
the  apex. 

"  In  size  and  general  appearance,  this  specimen  reseml)les  somc- 
whiVt  the  teeth  of  Crocodilits  antiqiius  Leidy,  from  tho  Miocene  <jf 
Virginia,  but  differs  from  that  species  in  being  less  tapering,  aiul 
in  having  the  ridge  on  the  edges  extend  farther  downw.ard.  It  ro- 
semV)les  still  more  closely  the  teeth  of  a  new  species  of  crocodile 
discovered  by  the  writer  at  Squankum,  N.  J.,  in  the  tcrti.iry 
green-sand,  which  will  soon  be  more  fully  described  under  the 
name  Tlwcocavq^i^ci  Sqnankcusis  Marsh.  l)oth  species  have  essen- 
tially the  same  proportions,  and  similar  dental  striiv,  but  the  ''ut 
ting  ridge  of  the  New  Jersey  specimens  is  more  prominent,  ami 
extends  nearly  or  (juite  to  the  base  of  the  crown.  The  two  species 
were  ajiparently  about  the  same  size,  both  being  considerably 
Iar<;er  than  existing  Crocodilians. 


GEOLOGY   OF  THE   VICINITY   OF   sAO   SALVADOR.  357 

"  Other  parts  of  the  skeleton  of  the  Brazilian  species  would  per- 
haps show  generic  characters  to  distinguish  it  from  the  ni(»dern 
proccjuliau  crocodiles,  but  in  the  absence  of  these,  it  may  for  the 
present  be  placed  in  the  same  genus.  Its  form,  cutting  edges,  and 
cspt'ciully  its  peculiar  strite,  readily  distinguish  it  from  any  species 
with  which  it  is  liable  to  be  confounded,  and  it  may  ap])ropriatelv 
be  named  Crocodilus  Ilarttii,  in  honor  of  its  discoverer,  whose 
recent  researches  have  thrown  so  much  light  on  the  "-eolof^v  of 
Brazil. 

"Several  specimens  of  reptilian  teeth  collected  by  Mr.  Allport 
at  Moutserrate,  a  k)cality  in  the  same  deposit  about  two  miles 
southwest  of  Plataforma  station,  evidently  belong  to  this  species, 
as  the  illustrations  accompanying  his  paper  (Plate  xvi.,  figures  1, 
2,  3,  and  5)  clearly  indicate.  The  exi)hination  of  the  plate  refers 
to  tlio  specimens  as,  '  Teeth  of  crocodile  with  delicately  wrinkled 
surface,'  but  no  further  description  is  given. 

"In  the  same  paper  Mr.  Allport  has  given  figures  of  several 
Crocodilian  teeth  from  the  localities  at  Plataforma  and  Moutser- 
rate, which  arc  quite  difierent  from  those  above  descri])ed.  These 
are  represented  in  Plate  xv.,  figure  5,  and  Plate  xvi.,  figures  4,  G, 
7,  and  8.  and  are  referred  to  on  page  2G8  as,  '  Teeth  of  crocodile 
with  strong  continuous  stria),  and  coarse  riblets,'  These  speci- 
mens, taken  in  connection  with  some  imperfect  remains  in  the 
collection  made  by  Professor  Hartt,  indicate  the  existence  in  this 
deposit  of  a  second  and  smaller  species  of  Crocodile,  jirobably 
allied  to  the  modern  gavials.  The  teeth  are  not  so  laige  as  those 
of  Crocodilus  Ilarttii,  and  arc  more  tapering  and  more  curved. 
Thev  also  differ  widely  in  the  stria)  and  lateral  folds.  These  spe- 
cimens may  provisionally  be  referred  to  the  genus  T h or ac()S( turns, 
and.  as  the  species  is  evidently  new,  it  may  be  called  T.  Bahiensis. 

"  An  interesting  fossil,  found  l)y  Professor  Hartt  at  Plataforma 
station,  is  a  fragment  of  a  bone,  evidently  reptilian,  but  the  exact 
fithnities  of  which  it  is  difficult  to  determine  from  this  specimen 
alone.     It  resembles  in  some  respects  the  extremity  of  an  ulna, 


358 


GEOLOGY  AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


but  after  a  cuirful  comparison  the  writer  is  inclined  to  consider  it 
the  proximal  end  of  a  ril).  It  is  much  flattened  at  the  ai'ticular 
extremity,  and  tapers  gi'adually  to  the  Viroken  end,  which  is  sniiio- 
what  triangular  in  outline.  Its  length  is  about  four  inches,  tlio 
transverse  diameter  of  the  perfect  end  two  and  a  half  inches,  auj 
of  the  other,  one  and  a  (piarter  inches.  The  larger  extremity  is 
divided  into  two  articular  facets  lying  oblique  to  each  other,  the 
smaller  one  being  elevated  about  half  an  inch  above  the  othei-,  and 
covering  rather  more  than  a  third  of  the  entire  terminal  sui-faco. 
In  form  and  general  proportions  this  specimen  is  not  unlike  tlio 
upper  end  of  a  right  dorsal  rib  of  some  of  the  amphicojlian  {'njc- 
odiles,  especially  a  rib  in  which  the  head  and  tubercle  have  so 
closely  approached  each  other  that  their  articular  surfaces  are 
nearly  confluent.  The  size  ami  other  characters  of  the  specimen, 
however,  seem  to  exclude  it  from  that  order,  and  it  pi'obably  be- 
longed to  a  Dinosaui'an  rejjtile,  possibly  the  same  as  a  largo 
vertebra  from  Monserrate,  which  Mr.  Allport  ligurcd  in  his  paper 
in  Plate  xvii.,  and  which  Professor  Owen  suggested  might  prove  to 
be  allied  to  Mcijulosanrus. 

"The  only  other  specimen  in  tins  collection  that  need  b..'  par- 
ticularly mentioned  here  is  a  small  flat  bone,  about  two  inclies  in 
length,  with  t)ne  articular  extremity  partially  preserved.  This 
appears  to  resemble  most  nearly  the  fibida  of  a  tortoise,  aud 
probably  should  be  referred  to  that  group  of  reptiles.'' 

I  have  iKit  yet  observed  at  this  point  any  of  the  species  of 
MchiHia  and  Viripara  of  Mon serrate.  In  some  of  the  Iiods, 
however,  a  niinute  gasteropod  is  very  abundant,  and  a  unio- 
likc  shell  also  occurs,  though  somcwliat  rare! v.  Tho>;e, 
with  the  estherians,  point  to  a  fre.sli-water  origin  for  tliese 
beds,  Avhile  the  alternations  of  shales  with  sandstones  and 
conglomerates  show  that  there  were  intervals  of  quiet  (k;)0- 
sition  of  fine  material  with  times  when  currents  spread 
coarse  material  over  their  surface. 


GEOLOGY   OF   THE   VICINITY   OF   SAO   SALVADOB.  059 


This  locality,  to  a  patient  and  jiainstaking  collector,  would 
vii'ld  a  line  harvest. 

Friuu  Poripcri  to  Matto  do  Sao  Joao  I  went  over  the  rail- 
luail  several  times  Ijoth  l)y  cars  and  with  a  trolly  ;  l)ut  1 
liavc  luid  an  opportunity  of  examining  a  lew  points  between 
!hr>L'  two  stations,  and  with  the  aid  of  the  information  of 
my  friend,  ^Ir.  Tijjlady,  the  engineer  of  the  first  section  of 
tlio  raih'oad,  and  to  whom  1  am  much  indebted  for  aid  and 
hospitality,  1  am  able  to  give  the  following  oliservations. 

At  the  tunnel  at  Periperi  the  rocks  consist  of  shale  and 
,>aiulst()ne,  with  a  slight  northward  dip,  and  contain  but  few 
fu.?sils. 

Detween  Olaria  and  Mapelle  stations  there  arc  heavy  beds 
I  if  shale  and  sandstone,  the  latter  a  rather  soft,  bluish  kind, 
whirh  is  fpiarried  for  building  purjmses  along  the  railway. 
It  is  iii)t  very  durable,  as  it  weathers  very  rapidly.  Fossils 
arc  very  rare  in  it.  The  tunnel  at  Mapelle  is  through  shale, 
tho  dip  lieing  northward  and  slight. 

At  a  place  called  Cotigipe,  between  Mapelle  and  the  next 
>tati(jii,  Agua  Com{)rida,  thick  beds  of  shale  and  conglom- 
tratc  are  cut  throuu'h. 


a.  Shale,    b.  Cuiialcjinorate. 

Ill  the  shale  of  bod,  rt,  of  the  al)ove  diagram,  which  varies 
much  in  eharactcr  from  a  thin,  soft,  black,  almost  papyra- 
ceous shale  to  a  coarser  greenish  variety,  fish  remains  and 
perfect  fishes  are  quite  common,  but  they  apjiear  to  be  of 
tlic  same  species  that  is  found  at  Monserrate  ;  together  with 
these  uccur  bones  and  teeth  of  reptiles,  and  an  abundance 


3G0 


GEOLOGY   AXD  PIIYSICAL   GEOGRAI'IIY. 


of  cyprids.  I  liave  colloctod  nothing  from  the  conploni- 
cratos.  The  dip  of  the  beds  is  northeast,  at  a  small  uiiok'. 
Thus  far  the  country  has  been  irregular,  the  hills  bciiifr 
rather  angular  in  their  outline,  and  presenting  altogftlicr 
different  tojtographieal  features  from  those  of  the  giieis.s 
regions.  The  cretaceous  hills  here  arc  generally  rdund 
top))ed,  "with  long  slopes. 

Passing  Agua  Comprida,  at  Sapucaia,  there  arc  several 
cuttings  through  shale,  and  here  we  fnid  the  conglonicrati' 
in  the  hills  on  the  west  side  of  the  road.  Farther  on  ik. 
more  of  this  rock  is  seen  on  the  line.  At  ]\I()ritib;i  arc 
found  beds  of  sandstone  of  the  same  series,  but  their  dij). 
according  to  Mr.  Tiplady,  is  south.  There  are  here  some 
horizontal  beds  of  pinkish  sands  of  a  much  later  format  ion. 

Cuttinu:  No.  82,  not  far  from  Moritiba,  is  throuuh  a  luavv 
bed  of  red  clayey  sand,  sometimes  used  for  moulding  in  the 
railroad  foundry  at  Pcriperi.  This  Ijcd  is  quite  horizontal, 
and  aj)])ears  to  belong  to  the  same  series  as  the  sumls  to 
be  described  farther  on. 

Just  before  reaching  the  Kio  Johannes  there  is  a  cnttiufi 
through  decomposed  gneiss.  ^Ir.  TijAady  infornictl  nio 
that  in  the  river-bed,  a  few  rods  above  the  railroad,  tln' 
gneiss  is  exposed,  while  the  rocks  below  the  railroad  aiv 
sandstones.  In  this  vicinity  the  hills  are  rounded  aud  more 
or  less  dome-shaped,  yet  not  more  than  two  to  tlnve  Iniii- 
drcd  feet  high  ;  l)ut  in  going  on  towards  Parafuso  tliev 
become  lower,  and  the  surface  is  rolling.  At  Paraliiso 
there  is  a  long,  low  cutting,  in  which  I  made  the  Iblluwing 
section. 


GEOLOGY   OF   THK   VICINITY   OF   SAO   SALVADOR. 


IGl 


The  lower  l)cd  consists  of  a  soft,  ycllowisli  sandstone, 
with  licautiful  oltliquo  lamination.  I  have  looked  long  and 
carefnlly  in  this  and  other  similar  localities  for  fossils  in 
these  sandstones,  l)ut  withont  success.  Over  this  lied, 
wliicli  is  quite  horizontal,  lies  a  thin  sheet  of  hard,  red 
iron-stone,  and  over  this  a  hed  of  clay  and  pebbles. 

In  cuttings  8,  0,  and  10  of  the  Third  ►Section,  which  are 
tlu'ungli  long  and  low  banks,  ai'c  seen  similar  l.ieds  of  light 
j)ink-('(il()red  sand,  slightly  consolidated,  and  showing  beau- 
tilui  false  bedding. 

At  Camassari  I  sp^^nt  several  hours  in  an  examination  of 
the  vicinity.  The  station  stands  on  a  plain  composed  of  the 
sands  just  described,  over  the  surface  of  which  is  spread  a 
slicet  of  clayey  gray  or  white  sand,  often  containing  j)ebbles 
and  lirokcn  pieces  of  rock.  In  the  vicinity  are  a  few  low 
hills,  com])Oscd  of  beds  of  arenaceous  pinkish  and  white- 
mottled  clays,  and  sandstones  which  vary  much  in  charac- 
ter, being  sometimes  soft  and  ])inkisli  in  color,  while  at 
others  they  arc  cemented  by  ferric  oxide,  dark  red,  and  very 
hard.  These  beds  are  horizontal  and  very  thick,  and  Ijc- 
long  to  the  great  coast  tertiary  formation.  In  some  ])laces 
they  lie  in  an  unbroken  sheet,  except  by  rivers,  forming  very 
extensive  elevated  plains,  like  the  sertoes  and  chapadas  of 
Sao  Matheos,  the  Mucnry,  and  elsewhere  along  the  coast ; 
hut  sometimes,  as  on  the  Bahia  Railroad,  they  are  demidcd 
in  such  a  way  as  to  form  deep  and  wide  valleys,  in  which 
stand  isolated  hills  that  rise  abruptly  from,  or  rather  j)icrcc 
through,  the  thick  beds  of  sands  and  clays  formed  from 
their  debris,  and  which  occupy  the  bottom  of  the  valley, 
hi  the  denudation  of  these  horizontal  tertiary  beds  the  ten- 
dency is  to  form,  at  first,  a  mass  with  a  fiat  top,  and  sides 
steep  and  abrupt,  as  represented  in  the  following  diagram. 


VOL.    I. 


16 


Oi'O 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


\^ 


Such  is  the  cluiractcr  of  the  slopes  that  border  vallcvs. 
These  are  rarely  ])eri)eiidicular,  and  are  almost  ahvavs 
covered  by  vegetation.  When,  however,  the  sea  or  a  river 
waslies  the  foot  of  a  slope,  it  is  always  per])cndiciil!ir;  ;i< 
is  the  case  with  the  red  clay  cliffs,  which  at  intervals  uinl 
the  shore  of  Brazil,  from  the  Amazonas  to  Rio.  As  i\\>' 
valleys  widen  and  aj)])roach  one  another,  the  hills  jircsi'ivi' 
the  same  to))Of!raphical  features,  and  we  may  fmd  all  uriiil;i- 
tions  between  ihe  broad  clia])ada,  the  narrow  hill  with  it> 
flat  toj),  and  the  roof-shaj)ed  or  conical  hill.  Tlicsi.'  dr. 
tachcd  hills  are  called  oitciros,  or  tabolciros.  At  Caniassmi 
the  toi)ography  of  these  hills  may  be  easily  examin('(l.  The 
valley  here  is  quite  wide,  and  there  arc  a  great  many  sinali 
scattered  hills,  that  rise  like  islands  from  the  plain.  1  oii- 
served  that  most  of  the  hills  had  rather  a  long  smooth  sld]"' 
to  the  east,  and  an  abrupt  one  to  the  west.  The  liill-^ 
are  covered  thickly  with  fragments  of  rocks.  This  seems 
a  little  singular,  because  it  is  not  owing  to  the  dip  df  (ln' 
beds,  for,  as  already  said,  they  are  liorizontal.  1  luno 
questioned  whether  it  might  not  be  in  some  way  due  to 
glacial  action.  The  whole  hill,  in  every  case,  was  onci' 
covered  with  a  sheet  of  clay  and  fragments  of  rock,  as  I 
shall  descrilic  more  fully  hereafter.  The  finer  materials  t»f 
this  superficial  coating  have  been  washed  from  the  stcciicr 
slope,  leaving  the  coarser  masses  l)ehind,  while  on  th<'  Iohl' 
slope  these  last  still  lie  buried  Ijclow  the  surface.  The 
sands  occui)ying  the  valleys  are  not  deposited  horizontally, 
but  form  a  scries  of  sand-banks  sloping  more  or  less  gradu- 
ally toward  the  middle  of  the  valley.     Tlie  surface  is  not  a 


GEOLOGY   OF   THK   VICHXITY   OF   SAO   SALVADOK.  3Go 

plain,  l)ut  rolling.  The  rollowiiig  is  the  outline  of  the 
cdiintiy  across  the  hills  iVuiu  Cainussari  station,  going 
west  lor  a  little  more  than  a  mile.  It  is  intended  to  show 
thf  to])ographical  featm-es  of  the  older  tertiary  hills  and 
jaiid  plains. 

CAMASSAR/ 


a.  Tei'tisirv  clavs  ami  saiiilstoncs. 


b.   Siinda. 


"While  at  Camassari  station  a  man  l)rought  in  a  mnlc-load 
oi"  ••Tal)atinga,"  *  or  pure  milk-white  feldspathi(;  chiy,  which 
lio  said  came  from  not  far  off,  pro1)aI)ly  Irom  a  In-d  inter- 
stratified  with  the  sands.  The  material  is  exceedingly 
fine  and  chalky,  and  l)ecomcs  a  pure  white  clay  on  Avefting. 
It  is  used  instead  of  lime  for  whitewashing  walls.  This 
Taliatinga  clay  is  also  found  in  the  tertiary  lieds  of  the 
luast,  where  it  is  often  jiinkish  or  yellowish  in  color.  I 
liad  ohscrvcd  the  same  material,  as  a  cement  to  the  super- 
ficial sands  and  gravel,  in  the  cuttings  in  the  vicinity  of 
Camassari. 

Leaving  Camassari  and  crossing  the  taholeirosf  one  soon 
enters  the  hills,  which  arc  (me  hundred  and  fifty  feet  or 
more  in  height,  com])oscd  of  the  tertiary  sandstone  and  clays 
aliovc  described,  and  have  some  of  their  sides  strown  with 
lariie  lilocks  of  the  red  sandstone.     A  lonof  cuttin<r  throudi 

'—'  <>  O 

a  heavy  bed  of  quartz  gravel,  of  which  the  cement  appears 
to  he  sand  and  clay,  is  soon  reached,  and  one  then  goes 
"u  to  another  sand  plain,  which  is  more  extensive  than 

*  Tliis  word  is  of  Tupi  origin,  and  is  derived  from  the  two  words,  Taud, 
c'iU",  nnd  linria,  white.     Tabatinga  is  a  corruption. 
t  lliia  word  is  also  applied  to  the  plains, 


304 


GKOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRArilY. 


that  first  dcscriljcd.  Another  bed  of  gravel  is  scon  nt  .1 
place  called  Enihira  IJranca,  and  I'arlher  on,  when  fiiiilv 
out  on  the  taboleiros,  at  a  place  called  As  Pedras,  there 
is  what  ajjpears  to  l^e  an  old  Iteach,  composed  of  rounded 
(piartz  pel)l»les,  fdled  in  with  snow-white  sand.  The  iH-acli 
is  irregular  in  outline,  and  presents  many  projecting  points. 
The  surface  of  the  sand,  which  is  almost  level,  abuts  again.st 
this  gi-avel  bank,  and  lies  in  the  indentations  in  its  outline, 
like  a  sheet  of  water.  Just  here  this  gravel  is  naked,  but 
not  far  distant  it  is  covered  by  a  dark  grayish  soil,  similnr 
to  that  which  covers  the  taboleiros.  It  appears  to  have 
been  washed  oir  here. 


a.  Sand  ;uul  soil. 


b.  Gravel. 


A  little  farther  on  we  find  a  cutting  in  which  a  cap  of 
gravel  is  seen  overlying  the  sand. 


a.  Gravol. 


b.  Saiifl'^. 


Thence  to  the  river  Imliu^ahi  the  land  slopes  very  grad- 
ually, and  for  miles  on  each  side  of  the  railroad  is  reniark- 
bly  even,  being  interrupted  only  by  the  isolated  tertiary 
hills  that  show  themselves  above  the  surface  of  the  sands, 
From  the  Imbuqahi  to  Feira  Yelha  the  sands  rise  with 
a  very  gentle  slope.  On  this  side  they  are  bounded  by 
tertiary  hills  and  chapadas,  some  of  which  are  roof-sliapcd 
ridges. 


gi:olo(;y  of  tmk  vinxiTY  of  slo  salvadoi: 


?i()ij 


lliilli  at  Caniiissarf  and  on  tlu^  linliiu^alii  tlic  sands  are 
liiu'i'cn,  and  form  sliyhtly  roHin;^;  plains,  snpporting  only 
;i  scanty  vcjL^elation,  which  consists  of"  several  species  of 
irrasscs,  and  a  undtitnde  of  small  llowering  j)lants.  Trees 
are  very  few.  In  the  lower  uronnds,  wheie  moisture  ••■ath- 
ITS,  and  whcr(!  there  ai'c  in  some  jdaccs  streams,  a  lonji^ 
cutu'se  grass  grows  most  luxuriantly.  A  (juartcr  of  a  mile 
south  of  tlu;  Iml)U(;ahi  is  such  a  grass-covered  area,  and 
here  excavations  liy  the  side  of  the  railroad  show  that  a  bed 
of  peat  luis  ac^'umulated,  which  is  two  feet  thick  in  some 
lilaccs. 

Leaving  the  taholciros  wc  enter  a  valley  among  the  hills, 
uiiirli  arc  at  lirst  low,  hut  become  higher  fai'ther  on.  They 
Iicloiig  to  the  tertiary  series,  are  often  very  irregular  in  shape, 
and  about  -joO  feet  in  relative  height.  As  we  go  uj*  the  valley 
it  iiai  rows  more  and  more.  The  bottom  is  occupied  by  beds 
"f  sands  and  clays,  which  form  a  series  of  untlulations 
wiiDsc  outlines  are  in  contrast  with  those  of  the  borderinsx 
liills.  as  exhil)ited  in  the  foUowinu'  diatrram. 


a.  Tcrtiarv  clnvf  iuul  siunlstonus. 


b.  Sands. 


In  order  to  illustrate  the  structure  of  these  lower  grounds, 
I  will  describe  what  is  seen  in  a  number  of  railway  excava- 
tions in  this  valley. 

Two  cuttings  towards  Bahia  of  a  cutting  called  Jacu- 
morim,  the  road  just  ])ares  away  the  southern  side  of  a 
low  hill,  about  twenty-five  to  thirty  feet  high,  as  seen  in 
the  followinc:  sketch. 


"V 


300 


GEOLOGY   AND   I'lIVSlCAL   UKOGIJAl'UV. 


Teriinrif 


Tliis  liill  is  t'()iiij)()s(Ml  of  Hiind,  wliicli  is  cxiiommI  \'n\-  ^ 
dcj)tli  of  twenty  fuct.  Tlic  siinu^  niatci'ial  loriiis  llic  lower 
ground  alon.irsidc,  Tlu;  hills  in  tlu'  Ijackji'i'onnd  arc  ('(jin- 
|)os('(l  of  the  tertiary  clays  and  sands.  The  most  interest- 
ing feature  exhihited  in  this  Hcetion  is  a  sheet  of  frii^inciib 
of  red  sandstone  from  the  tertiary  hills  extendinjr  uii<lrr 
the  soil  over  tlu;  surface  of  the  frauds,  not  only  on  the  low 
ground,  hut  also  over  the  whole  hill. 

Tlie  following  cut  rej)rescnts  a  section  across  this  snni'' 
hill,  but  at  right  angles  to  the  first.     The  boulders  of  saiid- 


a.  Soil  oontaiiiinc  ])cbMos  and  boulders  of  sandstone. 

b.  Srriitifieil  siiinls. 

stone  are  hero  seen  scattered  over  the  low  flat  by  the  side 
of  the  ra-'  These  Iwulders  must  have  come  from  tln> 

adjacf  ry  hills. 

G  .ip  the  road  wc  soon  come  to  another  cutting  in 

which  a  sheet  of  gravel  overlying  a  bed  of  yellow  sands  is 
ex])osed,  as  seen  in  diagram  on  preceding  page.  This  gravol 
consists  of  large,  well-rounded  pebbles  of  quartz  or  de('om- 
poscd  syenite,  with  a  white  paste.  In  the  next  cutting. 
Jacumerim,  we  see  the  following  section. 


GEOLOGY   OF   TIIK   VICINI'IY    OF   SAo   SALVADOR. 


<.)<•  ( 


TIh'  |)('l»ltlos  ill  llic  uTiiNcl  arc  of  llic  siiiuc  kiml  as  tlioso 
just  (Icscrilicd.  They  arc  very  lai'ji-e,  the  luatcrial  liciii^x 
rather  a  coarse  sliiii^'lo,  and  thoy  aro  very  ch)S('ly  pacUcd. 
Over  this  elevation,  as  in  tlie  other,  is  still  seen  the  hiycr 
of  liroken  ])i('c'cs  of  sandstone,  and  the  same  may  lie  exam- 
ined iu  the  next  enttiiiir,  which  is  a  very  instructive  one. 


SKCTKJN   AT   CAMTO. 

a.  Fiiio  brick-rnd  rliiyov  siunl,  in  some  pliices  with  scarcely  consistence  enough 
tol'i'  nimililcd;    in  otiicrs  very  clayoy. 

b.  Wliiti-h  luiil  yellowisli  saml. 

('.  S.ift  white  siinils,  no  consistency  under  pressure.     A  thin  streak  or  two  in  tlie 
lowiT  |i;n-t  of  tliis  bi'il  is  consolidated. 

d.  Wiiite  or  reddish  sands. 

e.  An  in-ppilar  mass  of  liouldcrs,  of  dark  red  tertiary  sandstone,  some  of  r.liich 
are  throe  to  fmr  feet  in  <liametor. 

In  this  diau'rani  tlie  dip  is  cxairc^erated.  At  the  post 
marking  ten  lea<rnes  from  the  city  of  l>ahia  is  a  long  low 
cutting,  and  in  a  trench  l)y  the  roadside  a  stiiT  sandy  clay, 
ludttleil  with  dark  red  and  white,  and  overlaid  l)y  a  dark 
brtjwu  sandy  soil. 

r.etween  this  point  and  Matta  station  there  is  much 
SAvanijiv  irround  Ijordering  the  road  at  intervals,  and  on  this 

til—  o  ^ 

great  numbers  of  jiiassaba  jialms  grow. 


308 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


A  very  interesting  section  occurs  in  a  cut  a1)ont  a  niilo 
and  a  iiulf  below  Mutta  station.  The  gravel  sheet  hci"  is 
very  tliick,  —  ten  feet,  more  or  less,*  —  and  is  irregularly  ami 
ol>li(iuely  stratified,  and  mixed  with  layers  of  sand,  as  if  the 
whole  had  been  laid  down  by  a  current  coming  from  the  luirth. 
The  sheet  is  very  irregular,  and  varies  much  in  thickness. 

Malta  station,  and  the  village  of  Malta  de  Sao  Joao,  are 
situated  on  a  jjlain,  formed  by  the  widening  of  the  vallev 
which  the  railroad  *')llows.  The  tertiary  hills  still  bjrder 
it,  and  these  are,  in  some  cases,  nnieh  denuded. 

xVbove  Malta,  at  the  cutting  at  the  fazenda  of  Coronel  ."^i- 
puda,  there  is  a  decayed,  fme-grained  sandstone  or  arenaeeons 
shale  seen,  })robal)ly  cretaceous,  and  thence  on  to  Pitniiga 
station,  rocks  of  the  same  general  character.  Just  lieluw 
the  station  at  Pitanga  I  made  the  following  section. 


ct.    Snn(l>tono. 

h.    Slmle,  .slijrlitly  nrotinocous. 

c.  Sliale;  vorv  iiririlliicoous,  and  <o  soft  as  to  be  easily  mouMed  by  the  haml.  I)i^- 
co!1i]ios(m1,  it  is  of  a  srriiy  or  lijrht  slate-color,  with  brijiht  red  patches.  It  contaiin 
ajiparciitly  the  same  Estherian  found  at  Pojuea  tunnel,  to  be  presently  descrilioil. 

'/and  e.    Shale  deconiiiosintf  yellow  and  red. 

f.    Sandstone;   soft  and  ochre  yellow. 

>j.    Shale  dci'oniposcd  to  a  jiiiik  and  white  clay. 

h.    Sandstone. 

k.  Layer  of  concretionary  iron-stone  a  foot  or  two  in  thickness.  The  surface  is 
very  irrejrnlar.  and  some  of  the  projecting  knobs  have  a  sort  of  septaria  structure- 

VI.    White  stiiiilstonc. 

n.    Layer  n(  ivoti-stone. 

o.    White  tabatinpi,  witli  red  iron-stone  nodules. 

/).    Decomposed  shale. 

q.   Saiul>tt)ne  (soft).     The  dip  is  exaggerated  in  this  section. 

The  railroad  here  skirts  a  flat  along  which  flows  the  Rio 

*  I  have  omitted  to  note  it  cractlv. 


GEOLOGY   OF   THE   VICINITY   OF   SAO   SALVADOR. 


309 


Pitanga,  "wliich  a  f>liort  distance  below  the  station  exjiands 
into  a  large  pond.  At  the  head  of  this  j)ond  I  lound  a 
gentleman  with  six  men  washing  for  diamonds.  An  ex- 
cavation several  yards  square  had  been  niade  in  tlic  flat 
allmial  ground.  The  lowest  stratum  seen  was  a  still"  blue 
rlay,  called  by  the  miners  pizarra,  over  this  was  a  sheet  of 
a  i'i'w  inches  in  thickness  of  C(ii<caIho,  or  gravel  conii)osed 
lirincipally  of  quartz  and  fragments  of  the  dillercMit  rocivs  of 
the  neighborhood,  this  cascalhu  being  mixed  with  a  motllcd 
leildish  clay.  This  was  the  stratum  frojn  which  the  diamonds 
were  washed.  Over  the  eascalho  v.as  a  thin  stratum  of  clay. 
The  washers  were  seated  on  benches  level  with  tlie  water  of 
a  little  pond  ;  a  portion  of  the  gravel  was  thrown  into  a 
large  shallow  wooden  ])an,  water  was  mixed  with  it,  and 
tlie  pan  with  its  contents  was  whirled  ahout  on  the  surfiicc 
ef  the  pond,  the  muddy  water  being  allowed  to  escape  until 
nuly  the  gravel  and  sand  remained.  Tins  was  now  jdaced 
ill  a  sort  of  sieve,  the  bottom  of  which  was  made  of  copjier, 
piereed  with  round  holes  about  an  inch  in  diameter,  which 
nlliiwed  all  the  little  pebbles  and  sand  to  jiass  tluvjugh. 
Nut  long  since,  at  one  of  the  Brazilian  diamond  washings, 
a  (liauiond  too  large  to  i)ass  through  the  openings  of  the 
sieve  was  found  in  the  heap  of  coarse  refuse.  It  had 
lieen  picked  ui)  bv  a  child  as  a  i)lavthinLL-.  After  washiuir, 
the  ]K'bt)les  arc  picked  out,  when  the  overseer,  looking 
carefully  over  the  sand,  selects  the  diamonds  with  ease, 
slinuM  there  be  anv  ;  but  during  the  weeks  which  thev 
\vashe(l  at  Pitanga  only  five  minute  stones  had  been  found. 
A  few  years  ago  quite  extensive  washings  were  carried 
Oil  brside  the  river  nearer  the  station,  and  a  large  num- 
V'ei'  of  fine  stones  were  discovered  ;  but  the  owner  of  the 
hnid  has  j»nt  a  stop  to  further  operations.     On  the  west  side 

IG*  X 


370 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


of  tlio  railroad  I  visited  some  other  old  washings,  from 
which  diamonds  had  been  obtained.  I  found  that  tlicy  lia4 
been  dug  from  the  cascalho  or  gravel  sheet  on  the  slope  of 
the  hill  near  the  river,  which  gravel  was  covered  with  tin 
common  red  drift  jlay  of  the  vicinity.  I  take  this  grawl  to 
be  drift.  The  diamonds  appear  to  me  to  come  from  tli^^ 
tertiary  lieds  of  the  neighboring  hills,  and  this  seems  Id 
be  the  opinion  of  Mr.  Xicolay,  who  shows  that  the  diamonds 
of  the  Chapada  Diamantina  come  from  a  conglomerate  and 
sandstone,  which,  from  his  descrij)tions  and  specimens,  ajn 
})ears  to  lie  a  tertiary  rock  of  the  same  kind  as  that  wliicli 
forms  the  chajjadas  of  the  valley  of  the  Jequitinhonha.  Mr. 
Nicolay  says  that  the  cascalho  in  the  vicinity  of  l)iiliia  dil- 
fers  from  that  of  the  c^'apada,  in  that  it  is  more  siliceous 
and  less  metaliferous.  There  is  no  Itacolumite  in  the 
vicinity  of  Pitanga.  The  gravel  is  made  up  princijialiy  of 
fragments  of  (juartz  and  of  pebbles  of  a  sandstone  like  tluit 
of  the  tertiary  chaj)ada,  though  somewliat  harder  than  tlio 
kind  usually  seen  along  the  road.  I  do  not  believe  that  tlii' 
diamond  ever  occurs  in  the  true  pala3ozoic  Itacolumite  in 
Brazil,  Imt  that  it  is  derived  from  the  tertiary  sandstoiu's. 

At  a  sugar  fazenda  beyond  Pitanga  there  ',  a  cnttini:' 
under  a  l»ridge  across  the  railroad,  and  in  a  gully  made  liv 
the  rain  I  found  a  shale  full  of  cypris,  and  evidently  eretu- 
ceous.  The  beds  appear  to  be  horizontal,  or  with  a  sli^ilit 
inclination  southward.  The  overlying  soil  here  i^  red 
mottled  with  white. 

The  next  cuttings  are  not  very  satisfactory,  and  ajipcar 
to  be  through  decomposed  sandstones  and  shales. 

I  introduce  a  sketch  lierc  to  give  some  idea  of  the  top  i'_^- 
raphy,  and  of  the  general  apjiearance  of  the  tertiary  hills 
borderiuL''  the  valley  on  the  west,  just  below  the  tmmcl. 


OF.OI.OGY    OF   THE   VICINITY    OF    SAO    SALVADOII. 


r.71 


TEHTIAHY    IIII.KS    NKAK    ro.ILCA   TLNXKI.. 


Tlio  sandstone  wliich  to  some  extent,  at  least,  forms  tlio 
(■lin|iadas  of  the  vicinity  is  a  somewhat  soft,  coarsc-irraincd, 
roddisli  and  mottled  kind,  with  an  argillaceous  cement.  It 
lias  been  occasionally  used  on  the  railroad  for  building  pur- 
poses. l)ut  it  cannot  1)C  very  durable. 

A  ridine  crosses  the  railroad,  and  a  tunnel  ("  Pojucp  tun- 
nel") is  made  necessary.  This  ridjre  runs  nearly  north- 
south,  and  is  com])osed  mainly  of  cretaceous  strata,  which, 
accord intr  to  information  received  from  Mr.  Turner,  en- 
Lnnoer  of  this  section  of  the  nmd,  have  a  hi^h  westward  dip. 
In  the  cuttiiiu'  at  the  eastern  (Mitranc((  to  the  tunnel  hori- 
ZDiital  beds  of  a  soft  brown  sandstone  are  exjwsed,  and 
this  is  so  Soft  as  to  be  easily  crumbled  Ity  the  haml.  Tn  tins 
occurs  a  bed,  fifteen  ccntm.  in  thickness,  of  a  j  dlow  clay 
(dt'('oui]»ose(l  shale?)  in  which  I  liave  found  a  few  Esthc- 
rians.  Tlu^  stutT  thrown  out  of  the  tunnel  is  a  l»ri<rht  bluish, 
very  soft  shale,  containing  fish  remains,  togetlier  with  a 
finely  lamiuated  lilue-gray  sandstone,  also  containing  fish 
rt'iuains  and  fragments  of  plants.  I  did  not  see  these 
strata  in  place. 


O  I  -I 


GEOLOGY   AND    TIIYSICAL    GKOGRAI'IIV. 


Ill  the  cuttiiitr  at  the  western  entrance  are  thick  l)C(ls  of 
shale  and  sandstone,  so  decomposed  that  tlieir  cliaractLi- 
cannot  well  he  determined.  The  strike,  as  near  as  J  conM 
make  it  ont,  is  N.  05°  E.  and  di})  78°  S.  E.,  l)nt  it  is  to  lir 
remcmhored  that  Mr.  Turner  says  that  in  the  tnniiet  tlic 
di])  is  \V.  The  licds  of  the  tunnel  and  western  entiaiicc 
are  cretaceous,  I  think.  Those  at  the  east  end  appcai'  hi 
overlie  the  cretaceous  heds  iniconfbrmalily,  and  may  lie  ter- 
tiary ;  hut  1  w(^uld  not  speak  )K)sitivcly,  on  account  of 
the  great  difliculty  of  recoirnizing  some  of  these  mrks 
■when  they  arc  decomposed.  This  ridge  is  covered  wil'.i  red 
drift. 

From  Pojuca  to  Sitio  Novo  I  have  heen  over  the  roail 
in  the  train  several  times,  hut  I  was  i)revented  fmui  ex- 
amining the  rest  of  the  road  on  foot,  hecause  i^f  the  rain. 
From  Sitio  Novo  to  Alagoinhas  I  went  over  the  road  in  ii 
trolly,  l)ut  in  rain  and  under  nnfavoi'al)le  cireumstanees. 
Soon  after  leaving  Pojuca  the  valley  hecomes  narmwer. 
The  railroad  follows  its  hottom,  so  that  there  are  no  r(ick.s 
exposed,  and  the  cuttings  are  of  very  little  interest.  The 
low  lands  are  very  fertile,  and  are  here  and  there  eoveied 
hy  forest,  though  they  arc  planted  to  a  considerabh,'  extent 
with  sugar-cane. 

As  for  the  lands  of  Bahia,  those  of  the  gneiss  are  lat, 
deep,  and  exceedingly  fertile ;  the  slopes  are  generally 
somewhat  steep,  and  in  the  southern  i)art  of  the  province 
they  arc  favoral)le  for  cofTee.  The  soils  of  the  cretaee'ous 
along  the  railroad  are  rich  ;  Init  the  rains  make  fearful 
havoc  with  them,  carrying  them  away  oomjdetely  after  a 
few  years  of  cultivation,  leaving  them  barren,  as  is  the 
case  over  large  tracts  along  the  railroad.  Of  the  lowlands. 
those  bordering  the  rivers  are  very  fertile.     The    teriiaiy 


GEOLOGY   OF   THE   VICINITY   OF   S.\0   SALVADOR. 


O'-O 


liigli  lauds  arc  sometimes  valuable  on  the  sluices,  ])ut  above, 
as  a  .iieucral  tliinj^,  tlioy  are  dry  and  barren.  The  tuholeiros 
arc  useless,  except  for  grazing.  Lumcnse  tracts  along  the 
railroad  arc  allowed  to  grow  up  with  tlio  ))iassal»a  palm. 
Considerable  difficulty  has  been  experienced  by  the  engi- 
neers, in  diiTerent  i)arts  of  the  road,  from  the  instability 
of  the  rocks,  and  the  liability  of  their  sliding  on  oiu) 
niintlicr,  especially  -when  the  shale  beds  become  wet.  In 
(iiie  case,  where  the  beds  di])ped  with  the  slope  of  a  hill 
toward  the  raibvay,  the  uj)]>er  beds  over  a  considerable 
area  slid  down  some  distance,  throwing  tlie  track  out  of 
,dia])C. 

The  Pojuca  tunnel  caved  in  from  the  same  reason,  about 
two  years  ago.  Some  distance  south  of  lagoiulias  the 
valley  ojiens  out  and  an  extensive  series  of  taboleiros  is 
ivaehed,  in  the  middle  of  which  is  the  station  of  Alau'oin- 
lias.  1  made  a  long  drlour  over  these  taboleiros  on  foot, 
and  found  them  to  be  essentially  like  those  at  Camassari. 
They  were  great,  gently  undulating  plains  of  sand,  scat- 
tered about  over  which  were  irregular  isolated  hills  of  the 
hurizuutal  tertiary  clays  and  sandstones.  The  cutting  at 
the  terminus  of  the  railroad  is  a  long  one,  about  five  feet 
deep,  through  white  clayey  sands,  under  which  is  the  ever- 
apiiearing  j)ebble  line. 

Ill  a  cutting  for  a  road  through  a  slight  elevation  near 
tlie  station,  I  saw  beds  of  clayey  sand  slightly  consistent  and 
of  a  white  or  pinkish  cidor.  Here  the  Saiiba  ants  had 
formed  innnense  mounds  of  a  clayey  sand  of  a  warm  pink- 
i.di  tint,  the  material  having  been  brought  up  from  a  con- 
Mderahlo  depth  by  those  busy  creatures  in  the  excavation 
of  tlicir  galleries. 

Ihc  village  of  Alagoinhas  is  on  the  sand  plains,  about  a 


374 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


Icngiic  eastward  of  the  station  of  the  same  name.  The 
surface  of  the  plains  is  not  level,  and  there  arc  dift'ereneos 
of  elevation  amounting  to  lifty  feet  more  or  less,  Iml  the 
slo])Cs  are  very  long,  exceedingly  smooth  and  even,  and  as 
a  general  thing  their  direction  is  from  the  hills  towards  \h' 
centre  of  the  plain.  The  surface  is  loose  white  sand,  (jf 
course  a  most  unfertile  soil.  The  vegetation  of  the  siiml 
])lains  and  tal)oleiros  differs  in  the  most  marked  way  tVuui 
that  of  the  s()il-covered  hills.  Trees  are  few,  scattered,  small. 
and  very  often  with  rough  bark,  and  stiff  and  contdrtcij 
branches.  One  of  the  most  conspicuous  of  them  's  tlh' 
Carahyha,  a  tree  aljout  twenty  feet  in  height,  which  is  scat- 
tered all  over  the  i)lains. 

The  Murici  {Bi/rsonima)  is  a  small  scrubl)y  tree,  alioiir 
eight  feet  high,  with  bunches  of  large  elliptical  leaves  cuv- 
ered  with  hairs  like  the  mullein  Ijorne  at  the  ends  of  thf 
l)ranches.  The  fruit  is  about  the  size  of  a  large  chei-rv. 
yellow,  very  fragrant  and  much  esteemed.  The  ^hui^alui 
{Hancornia  spcciosa)  is  another  small  tree,  with  weep- 
ing l)ranches  and  small  leaves.  Its  fruit  is  of  tlie  size  of 
a  j)lum,  and  very  delicious.  The  Perico  is  a  bush  jjiimIu- 
cing  a  fruit  as  large  as  a  goosel)erry,  and  very  pleasant  tn 
the  taste.  The  IJahianos  are  fond  of  it,  and  in  the  seusim 
of  fruitage  the  berries  arc  sold  in  large  quantities  in  the 
city. 

A  small  tree  called  Sambahilja  is  remarkable  for  its 
curled  leaves,  the  uj'per  side  of  which  is  so  rouuh  imd 
hard  as  to  scratch  wood  like  sandpaper.  The  Janulniha  is 
a  characteristic  shrul)  of  the  taboleiros,  and  it  is  notewmthy 
on  account  of  bearing  at  the  end  of  its  stem  a  cliisicr  jf 
large  leaves,  giving  out  an  abundant  milky  sap  whoi  lirokfu. 
Among  the  other  common  plants  of  the  taboleiros  one  oh- 


GEOLOGY   OF   THE   VICINITY   OF   SAO   SALVADOR. 


OiO 


serves  the  Alccrim,  with  its  fragrant  leaves ;  the  Ahncscar, 
furnishing  a  sweet-scented  resin  ;  the  brucella,  producing  a 
material  used  in  stuflhig  mattresses  ;  the  Purga  do  Canipo 
find  Orelha  da  Oinja,  both  used  in  medicine,  and  the  curious 
liarrigudinha,  with  its  swollen  stem.  Ci'C('i)ing  aliout  over 
the  liuslies,  one  sees  here  and  there  tangled  skeins  of  the 
yellow  thread-like  stems  of  the  Cipo  de  Chumlio,  a  species  of 
i'u^nitd,  or  Dodder.  A  large  number  of  the  plants  of  the 
taliolciros  arc  medicinal,  and  very  many  have  aromatic 
leaves.  Small  and  beautiful  flowering  jihints  abound  among 
the  tufts  of  coarse  grass  with  which  the  plains  are  covered. 
These  grasses  grow  in  widely  separated  clumps.  My  guide 
iiKJieatcd  the  three  princij)al  kinds  as  Capi/ii  agrcsU\  Ca- 
piiit  de  Oieiro,  and  C(ij>iiii  jmho.  1  observed  one  or  two 
speeics  of  Melocactus,  but  1  do  not  remember  having  seen  a 
single  large  Cereus,  a  plant  so  common  on  the  di-y  rnrky 
scrtocs  of  the  Rio  de  Sao  Francisco.  A  little  palm,  Licori, 
is  very  common,  and  is  the  only  species  I  saw  on  these 
eani]i()S. 

Ant-hills  are  common  on  the  taholeiros,  looking  like  scat- 
tered lioulders.  Under  one  of  these  I  found  a  large  scor- 
pion, an  bisect  which,  like  the  centipede,  is  common  enough 
in  Drazil ;  Imt  one  might  travel  a  year  in  tlie  country  with- 
out seeing  a  si)ecimen  of  either,  unless  he  made  S])ecial 
search  lor  them. 

As  elsewhere,  these  campos  are  l)urned  over  from  time 
t"  time,  and  the  flora  has  consequently  suflered  great 
modification. 

To  give  an  idea  of  the  general  character  of  the  vegetation, 
(IS  \\<'ll  as  of  the  topography  of  the  sand  plains  and  the  ter- 
tiary hills  near  xVlagoinhas,  1  introduce  the  sketch  on  the 
ibllowing  i»age. 


37G 


GEOLOGY    AND    PHYSICAL    GLOGRAPMY. 


THE   TAIIOLEIIIU.S    MvAK   Al.AliOINIIAS. 


These  liills  arc  coinj>o.scd  of  a  soft,  reddish,  ar<:'ill;ii'0(ni> 
sandstone,  with  some  layers,  however,  of  a  coarse  kiml.  vi  rv 
hard,  of  a  dark-red  color  and  with  a  cement  of  ferri-;  o.xidi', 
In  some  jdaces  these  rocks  fin-m  cliffs.  Here,  as  in  tlii' 
taboleiros  of  Camassai'f,  the  sands  l)athc  the  foot  of  the  hills 
like  a  sheet  of  water.  The  hills  are  covered  from  tM|i  in 
bottom  with  fra,u'mcnts  of  the  coarse  red  sandstone,  with 
some  qnartz  pehMes.  Usnally  round  the  l)as(;  of  the  liill> 
the  sands  have  a  coating  of  red  soil  washed  down  fiuiii  tin 
hillside.  Near  Jacard  the  soil  of  some  parts  of  llic  hill; 
land  becomes  Ix'tter  in  quality,  and  is  soft  and  lo()S(\  Ifciv 
wc  find  a  liberal  forest  coating,  and  some  poor  settlers  cul- 
tivate fields  of  mandioca,  tobacco,  corn,  A'C.  The  soil  i- 
sandy,  and  grnyisli-l)ro\\"n  in  color.  Farther  liaek  vn\w> 
a  Ijclt  of  forest  Itcyond  the  taboleiros,  and  a  considcnilili' 
quantity  of  sugar  is  raised  in  that  region. 

The  hei<rht  of  Alatroinhas  station  aliove  the  sea,  acconliiiL'' 
to  the  survey  of  Mr.  Vivian  as  laid  down  on  the  mani)>cniit 


GEOLOGY   OF   THE   VICINITY   OF   SAO   SALVADOR. 


377 


map  of  Mr.  Nicolay,  is  tlircc  liundriM]  feet.  The  tertiary 
liills  of  tiie  vicinity  I  sliould  judge  to  I)C  one  liuiidred  and 
fifty  feet  higher,  moi'e  oi-  less. 

As  to  tlie  extension  of  Die  crctaeeous  beds  on  hotli  sides 
of  llic  line,  I  luive  very  scanty  information.  The  island  of 
Miulre  de  Dens,  in  the  Bay  of  Hahia,  belongs  to  the  same 
series,  as  1  liavc  seen  in  Mr.  Xicolay's  eolleetion  several 
specimens  of  sandstone  and  other  rocks  fi-oni  tliis  locality 
])nTiscly  like  those  on  the  railroad  ;  and  the  island  of  Itajja- 
rica  is  also,  to  a  large  extent  at  least,  cretaceous.  I  have 
nut  lieai'd  of  their  extension  farther  south.  1  believe  that 
ihc  15aliia  cretaceous  series  is  confined  entirely  to  the  I)or- 
(k'ls  and  islands  of  the  IJay  of  ]>ahia,  and  that  it  is  for  the 
most  part  an  accumulation  witliin  a  closed  fresh-water  l)asin.* 

The  sands  and  gravels  of  the  jilains  and  connecting 
valleys  are  certainly  newer  than  the  coast  tertiary  beds, 
wliieh  are  denuded  in  order  to  form  the  l)asins  in  which 
these  were  dei)osited.  They  ai)pear  to  me  to  1)0  of  la- 
ciistiine  and  fluviatile  origin,  and  I  l)elieve  that  the  ])lains 
^vore  once  covered  by  large  lakes,  which  have  been  drained 
'y  the  cutting  through  of  the  high  lands  on  the  south 
ly  the  streams  flowing  from  them.  From  what  I  have 
ln-'ou  able  to  observe,  these  lieds  are  uniformly  overspread 
ly  a  sheet  of  clayey  sand,  mixed  with  fragments  of  rock 
h'diii  the  neighboring  hills,  which  sheet  I  consider  to  bo 
•'•lilf.  so  that  the  sands  and  gravels  may  })ossibly  bo  of 
very  late  tertiary  age.  It  is  very  probable  that  they  may 
tiini  out  to  belong  to  the  same  series  as  certain  similar  de- 
l"»sits  oiiserved  by  Mr.  St.  John  in  the  valley  of  the  Rio  de 
>ao  Francisco,  which  arc  overlaid  by  drift  in  the  same  way. 

*  In  Pnifessor  Apnssiz's  collection  I  find  a  friigmcnt  of  srconish  shale  with 
fypri'ls  from  Tarahyba  do  Norte,  wliich  appears  to  be  from  a  formation  similar 
to  that  of  Bahia. 


Oi 


8 


GEOLOGY   AND  PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


THE    PROVINCES    OF   SERGIPE     AND    ALAGOAS,    AND    THE  RIVFR 
SAO   FRANCISCO   BELOW   THE   FALLS. 

Tlic  Province  of  Sergipe.  —  Its  Division  into  MatUis  and  Agmsti's.—  l'y  ]\l, 
Hfiil.  —  Estuncia  ;  Now  Hcd  Sandstone,  H\\<inr  Plantations,  i^^ic.  —  Sim-l 
Dunes.  —  The  Hio  Vasaltarris.  —  The  Rio  Cotiiigniha.  —  Aracaj  i.  —  {'r,i. 
taceous  Hcds  witli  Inocerami  at  Sa])ucahy.  —  Maroini. —  Cretaceous  Lime- 
stone witli  Ammonites.  —  "  Fossil  Turtles."  —  Sujrar  Plantations.  —  M( -m-, 
Seln-amm  and  Company.  —  Tiie  Bar  of  the  Sao  Francisco. —Sand  Dv.u- 
of  the  Pontal.  —  Character  of  the  Kiver  helow  Pciu'do.  —  Araciuv.  —  Vill.i 
Nova  and  its  Cretaceous  Sandstones. —  The  City  of  I'enedo  and  its  (un]. 
ogy.  —  Its  Commerce  and  Fair. —Notes  on  the  Piranha  and  its  Hiibits - 
Propria.  —  Morro  do  Chaves  and  Cretaceous  Fossils.  —  Traij-u. —  Iron 
Ore. — Campos,  Ye<:etation,  Cactuses,  &c.  —  Piio  de  Assucar.  —  Ciitilc 
Fa7.endas.  —  Piranhas.  —  County  flat  and  covered  hy  Houldns.  —  Tli.' 
River  Valley  a  Narrow  Gorj.'-e  in  a  Gneiss  Plain.  —  The  Falls  of  I'luilo  Af- 
fonso.  —  Ilalfeld's  Description.  —  Liais's  Description.  —  Comparison  iio- 
twcen  Paulo  Aftbnso  and  Nia^jara.  —  Mastodon  Remains  from  iu;ir  ili,' 
Falls.  —  Climate  of  the  Sao  Francisco  helow  the  Falls.  ~  Steam  Nuvi.'i- 
tion.  —  Character  of  the  Coast  of  the  Province  of  Ala;j:oas,  South  uf 
Maceiii.  —  The  Lajroas.  —  The  City  of  Maceid  and  the  Geology  of  its 
Vicinity.  —  Tertiary  Reds.  —  Ilarhor  and  Reefs. 

The  Province  of  FcroMj)c  i.s  a  very  small  one,  M-etlired  in 
on  the  coast  l)et\vccn  tlie  jirovince  of  Baliia  and  the  Rio 
de  Sao  Francisco.  Its  coast  lino  is  onlv  about  ninctv  miles 
in  extent.  The  eastern  part  of  the  province  is  low  ami 
uneven,  and  there  are  extensive  tracts  of  sands  aloiii:  the 
coast.  In  this  resrion  are  some  lands  fit  for  cti!ti\.'itinii. 
The  western  half  of  the  j>r(ninco  is  hitihcr  and  soniowliat 
mountainous,  the  ])rincipal  mountain  range  being  the  Scrra 


PROVINCES   OF  SKRGIPE  AND   ALAGoAS. 


370 


)    THE  rJVKR 


irTtabayana,  of  Avliidi  I  sliall  liavo  occasion  horoaftor  to 
spciik.  The  eastern  linlCof  the  province  passes  l)y  tlie  name 
111'  Mdtfas,  heeausc  of  its  forests,  while  the  term  A;/t'(  s/rs  is 
iijililicd  to  tiic  western  portion,  hecanse  it  is  dt-stitnte  of 
I'nivst,  and  is  to  a  hir<2:e  extent  l)arren  and  dry,  Ix'ing  in 
sdiue  parts  fit  only  for  pastnra,<!:c,  though  durint;'  the  dry 
season  water  fails,  the  vegetation  dries  up,  and  cattle  suffer 
from  hunger  and  thirst. 

Tiic  princi])al  rivers  of  the  province  arc  the  Ivio  Real, 
wlinli  se[)arates  it  from  the  province  of  Bahia  on  the  south, 
!iiii|  t'ini)tics  into  the  sea  at  the  same  mouth  with  the  Rio 
riuuliy,  the  Rio  A'asal)arris,  the  Cotinguiba,  and  the  Jaj)a- 
ratiiha. 

The  Rio  Real  is  a  small  river  navigable  for  a  distance  of 
some  nine  leagues  above  its  mouth.  In  its  upper  course  it 
tlows  through  the  diy  belt,  and  it  is  bordered  l)y  cattle  fa- 
zi'iuliis.     A  little  cotton  is  raised  along  the  river. 

The  Tiauhy,  another  small  river  rising  in  the  western 
part  of  the  province,  and  to  the  north  of  the  Real,  unites 
with  the  latter  river  just  before  it  empties  into  the  sea.  On 
my  return  from  a  voyage  on  the  Sao  Francisco  I  touched  at 
Estancia,  and  made  a  hasty  visit  to  the  town.  Estancia  is 
built  on  a  rolling  country,  where  the  heights  of  the  innnc- 
diate  vicinity  are  not  more  than  two  or  three  hundred  feet. 
The  hills  are  rounded,  aiul  the  rocks  com])osing  them  are 
coarse  red  micaceous  sandstones,  —  quite  indistinguishaljle 
in  tlie  hand  specimen  from  the  triassie  red  sandstoue  of 
Now  Jersey.  This  sandstone  covers  a  large  area,  and  nmst 
he  very  thick.  I  examined  it  in  several  ])laces,  l)ut  found 
no  siiiiis  of  fossils.  The  dip,  as  a  general  thing,  npjiears  to 
lie  liut  a  few  degrees  to  the  eastward.  This  sandstone  is 
covered  by  a  red  clayey  soil,  which  bakes  very  hard,  so  that 


80 


GEOLOGY  AND   PHYSICAL   GKOGUAl'IIY. 


tlic  vicinity  of  Kstaneia  is  vory  arid  mid  of  littlo  fci'tilitv, 
and  llio  vt'^ctatioii  is  low  and  sjiarsc.  'I'licre  arc,  liowiNcr. 
voiy  jji-oductivc  lands  lying  furtiu'r  to  the  westward,  iiml 
j»rol)al)ly  inside  of  the  sandstone  range.  Ivstancia  exjiorts 
every  year  7,00()  boxes  of  sngar  (48,000  cwt.),  toy(.'tln.'r 
with  sonic  cotton,  tol)aeco,  etc. 

Jk'low  Kstaneia  I  found  a  poor  exposure  of  liniostnno. 
containing  shells,  and  which  was  (piarried  for  burning  iiifi* 
lime.  I  could  discover  no  signs  of  bedding.  The  Die 
riofuirio  (Icoij^rdjiliico  says  that  in  the  neighborhood  of 
the  llio  Piauhy  a  mine  of  coal  was  discovered,  and  that 
since  1H40  no  other  coal  has  been  used  in  the  forges  df 
the  vicinity ;  but  while  at  Estancia  I  made  careful  in- 
(piiries  about  minerals,  and  heard  not  a  word  said  about 
the  existence  of  coal  in  the  neighliorhood. 

The  river  is  narrow,  and  at  the  time  of  my  visit,  in  Au- 
gust, 18G7,  it  was  very  shallow.  The  water  l)elow  the  fulls 
was  fresh,  but  very  muddy.  As  the  hot  season  advances 
the  river  falls  very  low,  and  the  salt  water  flows  uj)  to  the 
port.  The  lower  part  of  the  river  is  bordered  by  extensive 
mangrove  swami)s;  its  mouth  is  obstructed  by  a  liad  Imi'. 
On  shore,  on  the  south  side,  are  some  magnificent  snml- 
dunes,  forty  to  fifty  feet  high,  as  regular  in  their  outlini'S 
and  as  white  in  color  as  snow-drifts. 


SAND-DUNES  AT  THE   MOUTH   OF   THE    lUO    REAL. 


PROVINCKS   or   SKIUilPK   AND  ALAGoAS. 


881 


N'oHli  of  Kstiincia  low,  i nvii'u hir  liills  \n'</\n  to  make  their 
aiilK'iiriiiice^  and  seem  to  lie  tertiary  uiitlier.s ;  l>iit  away  in 
the  iiiterioi',  t\v<Mity  or  tiiirty  miles  I'rom  the  coast,  is  seen 
the  l»lue  oiitlino  of  tiie  Serra  de  Jtaliayaiia.  It  jireseiits  a 
IdW,  very  evenly  roinided  I'orm,  and  mnst  lie  over  two  thou- 
sand I'eet  in  height.  It  is  composed  ()i  gneiss  and  mica 
sliitc,  as  1  had  an  opportnnity  ol'  seeing  on  the  Kio  de  Sao 
I'Vancisco. 

The  Vasaharris,  anciently  denominated  Irai)irang,  vises 
ii.  the  province  of  l>ahia,  in  the  Serra  lliuha,  according  to 
the  DiccloiHirio  d'co^rajf/iico,  and  is  of  \-ery  little  impor- 
tance except  ni.'ar  the  sea,  where  it  is  navigalile  lor  a  dis- 
taiirc  of  ahout  twenty  nnles.  The  same  authority  says  that 
the  Rio  Sergi](e  flows  inio  it  near  its  mouth,  which  is  manl- 
I'l'stly  a  mistake.  Not  far  from  the  mouth  is  the  city  of 
Sei'gipe  d'Kl-Rei,  or  Sfio  Christovao,  on  the  liank  of  a  minor 
stream  emptying  into  it  IVom  tlu;  norih.  This  city  was,  loi* 
many  years,  the  caj)ital  of  the  ])rovinee,  liut  so  very  had  is 
ilic  liar  of  the  Vasaharris  that  the  river  was  not  to  he 
depended  upon  for  mivigation.  The  capital  was  consc- 
i|neiitly  removed  to  Aracaju,  on  the  Cotingnilta,  a  few 
leagues  farther  north.     The  city  is  iu)W  in   de(;ay. 

The  Cotingniha,  or  Cotindilja,  is  a  smaller  river  than  the 
Vasaharris,  and  takes  its  I'ise,  as  near  as  I  can  ascertain, 
in  the  Serra  dTtahayana.  It  is  navigahle,  at  high  water, 
fur  SI  lacks  only,  as  far  as  Maroim,  a  distance  of  some  ten 
or  twelve  miles.  The  river  has  several  hranches,  on  which 
are  a  iiumher  of  towns  of  more  or  less  importance.  At 
the  month  the  river  is  very  wide,  presenting  a  l)eantifnl 
sheet  of  water;  hut  it  appears  to  he,  after  all,  only  a  sort 
of  estuary.  Between  MaroYni  and  the  sea  the  lianks  arc 
largely  covered  by  mangroves,  hut  there  are  some  hills  and 
hjij-her  lands. 


382 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


Tlio  l)ar  at  the  inoutli  of  the  river  is  very  dangerous, 
and  the  snrf  l)eats  on  it  with  great  liiry,  sometimes  piv- 
eluding  the  possihility  of  entering.  Ahnost  across  tin 
mouth,  from  the  norihern  side,  stretches  a  line  of  saml- 
banks  of  a  crescent-like  shape.     Three  of  these  arc  joined 


I^ar  of 
Rii'  Cotin.iiif'i. 


together,  llieir  convexities  being  turned  toward  the  sea. 
while  the  extremities  arc  })roduced  nj*  the  river  as  Vnvs 
si)its.  iV  siniihir  sand-bank  is  attached  to  tlie  noi'tlicin 
hank.  These  hook-shaped  sjtits  of  sand  are  made  in  tlu; 
struggle  lietweeu  tlu?  i-iver  and  the  waves  of  the  si'ii,  in 
the  same  manner  as  th*^  liook  at  the  mouth  of  New  York 
Bay  is  made.  Like  the  otlier  rivers  on  tliis  coast,  the 
Cotinguiba  enters  the  sea  very  obliquely  with  :•  southeast 
course.  The  k'ft  liank  is  fhit,  composed  of  sand,  and 
continues  low  for  several  nules  uj)  the  river.  On  tlic  oi>i>o- 
site  side,  at  the  mouth,  there  are  extensive  <hines  forty 
to  fifty  feet  high,  flanking  a  tract  of  recently  elevated  sands, 
stretching  along  several  miles,  covered  with  cocoa-palms 


rnOVIXCES   OF   SERGIPE   AND   ALAGoAS. 


388 


as  far  as  tlic  city  of  Arncnju,  a  small  and  uninfcrostiii!^ 
town,  tliG  capital,  built  on  a  Hat  of  lower  alluvial  ground, 
liordering  the  river  at  the  l»ase  of  the  sands.  Jn  the  upper 
part  of  the  town  the  dunes  arc  very  large  and  cons[)icuous. 
Ill  company  with  Dr.  J>runet,  Director  of  tiic  Agricul- 
tural College  at  Bahia,  I  walked  over  the  stratified  sands 
tor  some  distance  u[)  the  river  to  a  hill  on  which  thei-c  is 
;;  I'hurch  and  little  village.  I  saw  no  shells  in  the  samls. 
Tilt'  hill  i-eferred  ti)  is  tertiary,  and  we  saw  in  the  soil  cov- 
ering it  irreguliir  masses  of  the  common  dai'k-red  tei'tiary 
sandstone.  The  height  of  the  sand  jilain  ahove  water  level 
was,  if  I  remenil)er  rightly,  about  fifteen  feet. 

A  ^i'w  miles  above  the  citv,  and  also  on  the  riulit  bank  of 
tlic  river,  at  a  place  called  Sapucahy,  there  is  (pute  a  large 
quarry  in  a  little  hill  composed  of  a  white  flaggy  and  shaly, 
ratlicr  soft  and  chalky  limestone,  used  quite  extensively 
lor  building  purposes  in  Aracajii.  Of  this  limestone  n 
thickness  of  over  a  hundred  feet  is  cxposeil.  The  stratifi- 
cation is  remarkably  regular,  and  the  quality  of  the  stone 
is  very  unifiirm.  As  a  general  thing  it  is  almost  pure,  white 
ami  somewhat  soft,  but  there  are  bands  of  a  gi-ayish  variety, 
niucli  harder,  which  have,  at  first  sight,  the  ajijjearance  of 
a  lithographic  stone.  The  thinner  shales  resemble  strondy 
tliost  of  Solenhofcn.  A  large  j.art  (X  he  rock  is  flaggy, 
and  is  readily  (piari'ied  out  in  lai'ge  thin  slabs.  T'hei-e  ai'C 
sonic  lines  of  flints  in  these  beds,  Itut  these  are  not  roundt'(l 
as  ill  the  English  chalk,  but  tal)ular  and  angular.  T  have 
suhiuitteil  some  specimens  of  tliesc  rocks  to  my  friend  ^fr. 
Arthur  M.  Edwards,  the  microsc(;pist,  of  New  York,  who 
has  lioeii  unsuccessful  in  discovering  in  them  any  micro 
><.'o]iic  remains.  On  the  surface  of  some  of  the  layers  of 
limestone  I  have  found  great  numbers  of  valves  of  a  pretty 


584 


GF.OLOGY    AND    I'lIVSICAL    GKOCHAI'IIV 


In()crr(inu(.%,  most  jji'obahly  new,  totrctlier  witli  a  little  Ami- 
inonitc  ail. I  sonic  tdiostiar.  fisli-scak's.  I  am  ti;lil  thai  \,^^\^^ 
I'cct  ri>lics  have  hocii  ohtaiiu'd  liiTc  as  well  as  at  liaiau- 
gi'iras,  ami  some  s]M'cim('iis  were  colk-c'ted  a  lew  years  mv"') 
ill  this  \ii-iiiity  liy  his  Majesty  llie  Emjieror  ol'  i>ra/.i!.  ;; 
shrewd  geological  ohserver.  'I'his  white  liinestuiu;  a|ij'rais 
to  represont  the  while  chalk.  The  ix-ds  at  Sapucahy  laivc 
a  moderate  dip  to  tlio  southeast  approximately. 


MAIIOI.M. 


Botweor.  i^nimcnhy  and  ]\Iaro'im,  a  few  miles  up  the  livor. 
the  grounds  are  low,  and  the  Itoatmen  inronned  m(  that  liuio 
ahouiided  in  the  vieiiiity.  The  limestone  of  Sa]iiu;ihv  is 
said  not  to  furnish  good  lime.  At  ^faroTm  1  was  gratified  te 
find  the  streets  ])avcd  with  largo  Mocks  of  a  coarse  yellev.i>li 
limestone,  and  to  sec  on  them  the  imjiressions  of  some  larire 
Antmouilcs  and  Cvrnlilcs^  some  of  wkick  1  tools'  i;|  and 
brought  away  with  me.*     IJesides  these  fossils  J  oliiaineil. 

*  I  visited  \\w,  (niarry  tliiit  supplied  tliu  stone,  hut  in  tli"  short  tinu    :if  mv 
i1i-p()>:i'  I  touiii!  liut  little. 


PKOvixcr.s  OF  sKnniri-:  and  alaooas. 


;)s:, 


tlllK    at  mv 


tliioiiti'li  the  kindness  of  Mr.  Aduljili  liiuic,*  several  speri- 
iiKUs  of  a  large  X<(tica.  Mr.  Xirolay  once  showed  the 
diiiwiiitr  <»f  a  Cidaris  sent  to  him  from  that  hx-ahty. 

Al  the  Sah'ni  nu.-ethig  of  the  Association  for  the  Ailvanee- 
lui  lit  of  ."^cienee,  in  Angnst,  1S('>'.>,  I  exhibited  my  eoUection 
iti'  )hii'oini  fossils,  and  expressed  the  opiiuon  that  they  wci'C 
livtMceons.  Pr(jfess(jr  Alphens  Hyatt,  in  examining  the 
sjicfiinens,  was  strnek  with  the  r(.'markalile  peenliarities 
])ii>sessed  hy  some  of  them,  and  which  recalled  Jnrassic 
I'nriiis.  Professoi'  Hyatt  kindly  consented  to  stndy  the 
sjieijiuens  ci'itieally,  and  1  am  glad  to  he  aide  to  present 
till'  fiiUowing  report  npon  them,  which  he  has  j)i'epared  for 
this  work.  I  am  especially  glad  to  have  the  opinion  of  this 
iialiiialist  on  the  Ceratites  aiul  Anuuonites,  hecanse  he  has 
made  such  exceedingly  careful  studies  of  these  groups. 

It'ij'nrf  nil  till'  Cr('t<ic('<Hi!i  FiitixilA  frum  Jfio'i/im,  Proi'/in'c  of  Scrijiji", 
/l/ii-.if,  ill  the  CitUfftinii  (if  Pkoi'kssor  Hahtt.  ]')V  Ai.iMii'.rs 
HvATT,  S.B.,   Caratiif  in  tlir  PcaJiodij  Afiahmu,   Suliui,   .U'ls.^. 

hi  the  small  collection  of  fossils  from  the  ahove  loculitv,  placed 
in  iii\-  hands  for  examination,  I  have  been  aMc  to  make  out  the 
I'ulliiwiiig  species  :  — 

X<itif((  pr'tlniir/a  Leymcrie. 

N'ltU-n  pmhnga  Loynicric,  1S42.  Mi'in.  dc  l;i  Soc.  (IcmiI.  t.  v.  pi.  IG,  fiir.  8,  j).  l-T; 
I'oil,..  Voy.  (hitis  rAmer.  Mer.  t.  3,  p.  73,  pi.  LS;  I'ul.  Fran.,  Terr.  C'n't.  p.  ir,2, 

i.i.  i:^,  li-.  1. 

This  species  is  (juite  closely  allied  to  Adtirn  /^'i-rifcii'i/is  nf 
l!iir!iK'i-.  I'lillected  in  Texas,  hut  has  a  longer  and  more  acute  spire. 
I  III'  I' iviicli  specimens  were  found  at  'fhietfraiu  and  Vandoeuvre, 
111  the  1,1. wer  Neocomieu,  liy  M.    Leymcrie,  and    the  identitication 

*  Since  my  return  iioinc  Mr.  Laiui  lias  heeii  so  kind  as  to  seiul  inc  small  lot.-J 
of  tli'-e  I'ussils. 

Vol.   1.  17  Y 


386 


GEOLOGY  AND   PHYSICAL   GKOGRAPHY. 


was  made  liy  a  (/(jinpariHon  between  the  l>razilian  specimens  aul 

the    figure    given    hy   D'Orbigny    in   the    l'(tlciniti)ln</le    Friiiii;ii.<_ 

D'Orhigny's  tiguro  of  the  specimen  from  Cohunbiu,  in  his  I'n,/,/,/, 

d'liti  CAini'rl'iiii'  MifliliuiKili',  is  that  of  a  young  specimen  found 

by  IJonssingault  on  the  Kio  Suba,  one  of  the  aflhients  of  the  Kiu 

Snare/..      This    agrees    j)erfectly   with    tl»e    figni'e    of    the    FreuLli 

specimen.     The  l''rench,  Cohuubian,  and  JlraziUan  specimens  ;uv 

all  casts  of  the  intei'ior. 

Locality  :  Cretaceous  of  MaroTm,  C.  F.  II.,  18G7,  and  Mr.  Adul|/li 

Lane. 

Ceratlti'.'i  JInrtdi  n.  sp. 

Tliis  si)ecimen  I  was  at  first  disposed  to  consider  as  a  rtoniatite 
in  spite  of  the  septa,  the  characteristics  of  which  are  uncpu'stinn- 
ably  ceratitic.  It  is  evidently  a  fo.ssil  cast  which  has  l}een  tr.iuv 
ported  to  the  beds  in  which  it  was  found,  ft'om  some  older  stratum 
of  precisely  the  .same  lithological  composition.  Serpuhe  have  iu- 
crusted  the  surface,  stretching  their  long  cornucopia-like  .--hrll- 
cases  across,  or  fitting  closely  into  tlie  abraded  dejjressions  wliich 
mark  the  former  edges  of  the  septal  partitions.  The  pi'eseuri  df 
these  sei'pulie  sliow  conclusively  that  the  specimens  inusi  huvi' 
been  a  fossil  long  before  they  began  to  grow  u|)ou  its  surface.  -mxA 
that  it  had  sufi'ered  much  from  the  wear  and  tear  of  the  eleiiK  iits 
before  they  could  have  fitt(>il  themsclvos  so  accurately  into  tlio 
de])ressions  of  its  rouizh  and  jiitted  extei'ioi".  The  nmlulicus  is 
filled  with  the  tou^h  calcareous  nuitrix,  but  its  form  must  iieLVS- 
sarily  be  that  of  a  very  dee])  fumiel,  the  whorls  enveloping  tlie 
greater  portion,  if  iKjt  the  whole,  of  the  sides  of  the  young.  Thi-; 
is  certainly  the  case  with  jvgard  to  the  last  whoi-j,  which  covers 
nearly  the  whole  breadth  of  the  sides  of  tiie  innnediately  i>rectM|- 
ing  volution,  leaving  only  a  nan-ow  band  exposed.  This  jmluH- 
arity,  and  the  great  transverse  l)rea<lth  of  the  volutions,  gives  to 
this  species  a  remarkably  close  resemblance  to  Coiiintitcn  vyausfna 
autl  other  allied  forms,  and  this  it  was  which,  at  first  sight,  led  lue 
to  imagine  that  the  older  Coiiidtitix,  ;is  well  as  the  Ccrntit'.x,  i;:id 


PHOVIXCES   OF   SElIGiri;   AND   ALAGuAS. 


387 


cimcns  ai;:: 


••ijdlonizcd"  the  cretaceous  shores  of  liraziL     'I'he  hjnL,'cst  diameter 
,.f  the  cast   is   nearly   five    (  +  1,7)   inches.     The    latter  half  of  the 
l;ist  volution,  occupied  by  the  terminal  chaml)er,  is  devoid  <if  sep- 
tal markings,  and  has  sutl'crcd  too  much  from  alii'asion  t(i  allnw  of 
accurate  measurements.     Near  the  last  septum,  however,  llie  fiil- 
ii(.>s  of   the  oriyiual  shell  is  very  well   preserved,   and    here  the 
(lurso-al)dominal  breadth  of  the  last  whorl  was  found  to  1)e  two 
sevenths  shorter  than  the  dorsal  l)readth,  measuring  irom  shoul- 
der tu  shoulder  of  the  umbilical  edge.     The  abdomen  and   sides 
arc  symmetrically  rounded,  reaching  their  greatest  width   or  de- 
[larture  from  each  othei  on  the  umbilical  edge.      The  curvature  of 
the  sides  is  so  rajtid,  liowever,  and  the  a[iparent  elevation  of  the 
aliilnnien  so  great,  tluit,  without  actual  measurement,  no  one  would 
be  apt  to  suspect  that  the  base  of  the  arch   was  longer  than  its 
axis  of  elevation.      The  edges  of  the  septa,  though  worn  away  to 
ii  considerable  e.xtent,  are  suihciently  distinct  to  allow  of  the  de- 
termination of  their  general  characteristics,     'i'liey  are  eviilently 
nidvc  closely  allied    to  those  of  C(-r/ifi/(.<i  ( Ahuii<i////is)  L'olilull,  as 
ti'iured  liy  Von   Buch,*  than  any  other  sjiecies.     'i'he  abdominal 
lulie,  liowever,  has  a  sijihonal  cell  of  ordinary  size  in  place  of  the 
laru'c  broad  cell    occupying    the   abdomen   of    that   species.      The 
lateral  lobes  and  cells  have  very  nearly  the  same  geiiei'al  outline 
as  in  ('irnfifes  /lofj/'/iii,  and  the  superior  latei'al  cell  has  a  similar 
triiile  division  of  the  base  line,  due  to  the  presence  of  two  minor 
lebes  of  e(pial  size.      The  snj)erior  lateral  lobe  is  about   one  third 
tleopcr  tlian  the  abdominal  lobe.      'I'he  inferior  lateral  cell    is  very 
imuh  broader  than  in  Ccrnfifrs  Hnliiiiil,  and  the  liase,  instead  of 
lieiiiLf  smooth,  is  bri'ken  by  two  or  more  minor  lobes,  almost  obliter- 
iitcil,  however,  in  the  cast.      In  oilier  respects  these  cells  are  veiy 
like  those  of  Ccvdtitex  Rubinli,  having  precisely  the  same  hum{)-liko 

unu  rising  gradually  on  the  abdominal,  and  bulging  out  on   the 
irsal  or  umbilical  sides.     The  inferior  lateral  lol)es  in  both   sj)e- 

cies  are,  on  account  of  the  contiguity  of  i\\e  septa,  in  contact,  and 

*  l\h<r  Ccnitittn,  Abhaiul,  d.  Kong.  Akad.  Bcilia,  1848,  p.  17G,  i'v^.  4. 


lul 

ill)! 


Olio 


GEOLOGY   AND   I'lIYSICAL   GEOGRArHV. 


set  one  into  the  other  like  a  i)ile  of  cotVee-cups  ;  this  lohc,  hnw- 
ever,  in  (.'crat/'fi's  Ifartdi  is  either  deeper  or  of  aliout  the  saiii" 
depth  as  the  siiiierior  hiterul.  Tiie  first  auxiliary  eells  and  1  il)t'.> 
are  eipially  imitative,  but  the  basal  outlines  of  tlie  former  are  di- 
vided by  two  minor  lobes  similar  to  those  of  the  superior  auil 
inferior  lateral  eells. 

The  fii'st  auxiliary  lobe,  also,  reaches  the  mnbilical  ed^-o,  instciul 
of  being  situated  at  some  distance  tlierefrom,  as  in  Cirdtlttf^  UoIiIkH, 
and  the  smaller  auxiliary  lolies  and  cells  are  u[)on  the  unexpus.  il. 
inturncd  portion  of  the  border,  and  are  not  seen  upon  the  sides,  as 
in  Von  Huch's  lii^ure  of  the  latter.  I'rol)al)ly  no  very  close  cum- 
parisons  can  l)e  made  between  Hie  form  of  the  shell  in  these  tun 
species,  since  Ccratitcs  IlDhiiili  lias  a  shallow  umbilicus  and  nar- 
rower whorls.  There  seems  to  l)e  no  doidit,  therefore,  that  this 
fossil  is  undcsci"ibed,  and  as  it  is  the  remains  of  a  very  remarkalilu 
cretaceous  animal,  its  dedication  to  its  discoverer  cannot  be  classed 
among  connjliments  of  a  similar  sort  which  are  too  often  couunnu- 
place  or  misapplied.* 

Ceratiti's  {Ammonites)  Pienlenrdis  Von  Buch. 

Xo.  4  of  the  collection  is  so  closely  allied  to  this  species  in  the 
form  of  the  whorls  and  the  extent  to  which  they  envelop  each 
other  that  1  have  no  doubt  of  their  specific  identity,  'fhc  septa 
are  not  apparent,  but  the  hollowing  in  of  the  umbilical  sides  nt' 
the  volutions  and  the  acuteness  of  the  abdomen  are  well  Uiariail 
and  cvidentlv  the  same  as  in  A}nmi>nlt('!<  Pierdenalis, 

Locality.  In  cretaceous  beds  at  Maroim.  C  F.  H.  and  Mr. 
Adolph  Lane,  collectors. 

Ammonites  Ifnllii  Meek  and      lyden  ] 
Xo.  I   is  probably  a  fragment  of  a  largo  whorl  of  Ammonites 
Ilallii  of  Meek  and  Hayden,  or  a  closely  allied  species.     Althucgli 


*  This  Coratito  was  oljtaiiipil  fmm  the  cretaceous  beds  of  Maroiui.    <•  I'- 
ll, ami  yU.  Aildliili  banc,  collectoi's. 


PROVINCES   OF   SKIIGII'E   AND   ALAGoAS 


,  A 


380 


iiAiie  i>f  the  inner  whorls  ure  preserved,  the  lunliilicus  was  evi- 
(liiily  deep  and  eumparatively  narrow,  a  eharaeteristie  eaused  liy 
t!ie  liroiid  dorsum,  small  number,  anil  very  rapid  increase  in  size 
(,|  the  volutions. 

Tlie  eost.e,  or  pil;e,  as  I  prefer  to  call  them,  cross  the  abdomen 
wirlitiiit  interruption,  and  not  more  than  one  in  four  reach  the 
uiiiliilical  edge,  where  they  develoi)  large,  coarse  tubercles  and  dis- 
a]i]M  ir.  An  outline  or  section  of  the  whorl  would  cin-ve  like  a 
llouian  arch,  the  abdomen  being  rounded  far  down  on  the  sides, 
the  sides  flattened  only  when  near  to  the  umbilical  edge,  which  is 
vnv  aliHipt,  and  in  the  whorl  examined  measm'ed  about  four  tifths 
of  ini  inch  from  the  edge  to  the  side  of  the  })reeeding  whorl.  The 
base  of  the  whorl  in  its  liroadest  part,  from  edge  to  edge,  measures 
tliive  and  two  Hfths  inches,  anil  its  height,  from  a  line  connecting; 
till'  luiiliilical  edges,  three  and  one  fifth  inches.  The  se})ta  are  noL 
sutiiuiently  well  preserved  to  aflbrd  an  accurate  description. 

No.  2  is  a  species  of  the  Ligati  group.  The  ligatm-e-like  dcpres- 
>iins  constricting  the  whorl  are  jdainly  visil»le,  and  the  form 
iviiiimls  one  of  A  mmain'tcs  scmistrinfns  D'Orb.,  at  least  the  genei'al 
itspect  nf  the  last  whorl  somewhat  resembles  that  species. 

Xo.  ;5  ai)pears  to  be  identical  either  with  Ammoiudx  P('riiv!<nnix 
\o\\  lliu'li,  or  Ammonites  acu/ocan'iiatns  Shumard.  The  fragment 
is  very  nuich  compressed,  and  the  true  characteristics  of  the  ab- 
deinea  (>l)literated. 

Xn.  .■{  "  is  a  fragment  of  a  young  specimen  of  So.  ^.  This  is 
lint  eoinpressed,  and  shows  the  prominent  keel  and  broad  [lihe  of 
thi:5  spceies  much  more  plainly. 

Lnrulity  :  ]\[aroTm,  in  cretaceous  beds.  C.  F.  H.  and  Mr.  Adolph 
Laue,  collectors. 

Ammnirltcs  G'ifihoiu'avuK  Lea. 

Xo.  5  is  probabh'  the  young  of  No.  0.  The  ])ilie  (ribs  or  costre) 
make  their  appearance  on  the  first  quarter  of  the  second  whorL 

Attor  this  first  period  the  whorls  arc  obscured  more  or  less  until 
tlie  ia^t  tjuarter  of  the  fifth  whorl.     From  this  time  until  the  com- 


390 


CnOLOGY   ANT)  PHYSICAL   GLOGRAPllY 


pletion  of  the  sixth  vuliition  there  arc  Lirge  tul)erculiitc,l  pi,. 
whicli  iilteniiite  witli  others  of  h'sser  height  unci  thickness,  Ihoi;.':. 
in  a  very  irregnliir  manner.  The  larj;'er  pilu:  begin  to  Ih.mj  tlni'- 
greater  iiroportidii.il  height  on  tlie  latter  part  of  the  sixth  uIimiI. 
and  ajjpear  iihont  to  assume  the  same  form  as  those  of  Nu.  (1,  il^. 
serihed  below. 

The  (lurs'.nn  of  the  sixth  whorl  is  mnch  broader  than  llio  u],>h- 
men  ;  the  umbilical  edges  iire  rounded  and  the  sides  slopi'  ovoilv 
to  the   base  of  the   keel.     The  jiihe  have  sipiai-ely  cut  gciiiriih, 
probal)ly  tubereulated  on  the  shell,  and  which  bend  ibrwaitl  dii  t 
the  abdomen  and  terminate  close  to  the  keel. 

The  keel  is  very  in'ominent,  thin,  and  sharp,  and  the  sjilcs  )•:■ 
tween  the  pihe  are  evenly  rounded  upon  the  edge  of  the  ahdwiuin, 
in  those  parts  not  affected  by  com])ression. 

The  sejita  were  too  obscure  to  be  observed  with  any  apimjaili 
to  accui'acv. 

No.  (i.  The  keel  is  very  nearly  i)crfect,  and  shows  to  the  fi;!l'>t 
extent  its  great  breadth  and  the  entirely  external  pnsitiun  .4' i!i" 
siphon.  In  this  respect  it  resend)les  Xos,  o  and  7,  in  Imth  if 
whicli  the  siphon  is  not  present  at  all  in  the  internal  casts  of  lln' 
whoi'l,  but  disappears  with  the  removal  of  the  shell. 

The  latter  part  of  the  sixth  and  the  iii'st  hiilf  of  (he  scviiitK 
whorls  are  exposed,  and  tolerably  well  preserved.  The  lanliilinil 
edge  is  roundt'd,  and  the  sides  slope  evenly  to  the  I)ase  of  the  lacl. 
The  umbilicus  itself  rather  deep.  The  al)(U)men  is  not  'piitc  » 
broad  as  the  doi'sum,  measured  from  edge  to  edge.  The  ]iilic  ai"'' 
depressed  on  the  umbilical  l)order,  but  the  genicuhe  arc  sliuht!;. 
more  ])roininent,  but  not  tubereulated,  and  bend  foi'waiil  uii  I' 
the  abdomen,  terminating  near  the  keel. 

They  continue  to  remain  straight  until  near  the  second  (|iiartur 
of  the  seventh  volution.  Pfere  a  double  curvature  begins  to  !."-■ 
apparent.  The  lower  jiart  bends  forward  over  the  mnlid'AMl  cL''' 
with  a  salient  curvature,  and  is  continued  bv  a  reentrant  cr.rvo, 
which,  also,  takes  a  forward  direction  over  the  edge  of  llic  ali'lo- 


PROViKcr.s  OF  sKr.Giri;  and  alag.ias. 


301 


fuiy  fi]iiirij;irli 


iiicii  tn  the  ?»!ise  of  the  kcfl.  'I'lio  pihu  lose  sonietliin;^  of  their 
finiici'  [irouuiionce  iieiir  the  Lceiiiculie,  and  conrofiu  iimre  ileeuleiUy 
to  the  c'lirvatiu'e  of  the  sides  of  the  whorl. 

The  keel  itself  on  the  seventh  volution  measured  nea..yono 
liiilfi'fan  inch,  and  the  whorl  nearly  two  inrhcs. 

Nil.  7.  The  lariLCest  of  this  lot  hardly  reaches  heyond  the  sixth 
wimrl.  Though  diil'ering  eonsiderahly  at  first  si^ht,  they  are  really 
^t;ll  vounger  specimens  of  No.  <i  than  No.  .">,  with  the  easts  of  the 
pihu  lietter  preserved.  The  uudiilieal  edire  slopes  shar[ily  inwards, 
tliL'  sjilcs  incline  outward  to  the  edge  of  the  aliddincu,  and  then 
vjiipi.'  with  a  reentrant  ciu've  to  the  hase  of  the  keel.  The  envel- 
i']iiu'iit  extends  only  so  far  as  to  cover  the  abdomen  and  pei'haps 
t!ir  tiiliei'cles  on  the  genicuhe.  The  pike  conform  to  the  cui'ves 
(if  the  umhilical  ed.ue  and  then  rise  gradually  to  greater  pronu- 
i.i'iiic  and  ac([iure  tuherculated  genicuhe  upon  the  edge  of  the 
ul'ilniinii,  with  extensions  winch  raise  folds  ujidu  the  alulomen 
vadiiiig  neai'ly  sti'aight  across  to  the  base  of  the  keel,  'j'he  keel 
itM'lf  is  very  prominent,  and  possesses  the  same  remarkable  thin- 
u 'ss  iind  prominence  observed  in  No.  (1.  Ail  the  specimens,  with 
I'lio  exception,  have  the  })iku  evenly  developed  antl  I'ijuallv  prond- 
iii'iit,  but  in  this  one  the  same  alternation  of  laige  and  small  pike 
iiiay  be  dliserved  as  in  No.  •"). 

Thus  there  can  be  little  doulit  of  all  four  of  these  varieties 
l't.loiiL;iiig  to  one  and  the  same  species.  l''or  the  specimen  last 
ik'.sL'rilied  diifers  from  all  other  specimens  of  No.  7  only  so  far  as  it 
::.'rL'('s  with  No.  T),  namely,  in  the  altei'nation  of  the  pike  ;  and 
No.  "i  (lillers  from  it  only  in  those  characteristics  which  it  shares 
in  ceiuuinu  with  No.  (>,  namely,  untuliei'culated  genicuke  much 
I'.'ss  ]ininiinent  than  in  No.  ■"),  and  I'ounded  i\nd)ilical  edges  with 
siilus  which  slope  evenly  to  the  base  of  the  keel  as  in  No.  0. 

Ihc  ucneral  aspect  of  a  section  of  one  of  No.  .'•,  the  amount  of 
euvcl,i|)iiu'nt,  and  the  outline  of  the  whoi'l,  closely  resend)le  .Mar- 
C'ous  ti-iire  of  Ammonite!^  (ri/>f>(i»i'i/nis,  found  in  Texas,  and  there 
!-^  ii.  faint  re.semblance  to  Lea's  original,  but  miserably  iuudequato 


302 


GEOLOGY    AND   PIIYSICAI.   GKOCnAI'lIV. 


fiLrnre  ;uh1  (loscription   of  !i  fraLrniciit  <jf'  the  sumo  sj^'cics  fuiiiiil  ■;. 
Js'c'W  (iieuiulii. 

It  iiiiiy,  pfvliJips,  excite  surprise  that  the  Aiiunonites  iioticMl  i., 
this  ivport  are  not  piihlished  under  ditlei-ent  f^enei'ie  )ip[icll;iti(iih 
from  tlmse  usually  eni]tloyed,  and  this  iuileed  calls  for  sonic  ('X|,!,i- 
nation  on  niv  part.  All  the  nenera  (Icscrihed  hv  me  in  the  HiilK-ii:! 
of  the  MusiMun  of  Comparative  ZniiloLiy  were  collected  from  l,i;i>.; 
beds,  and  their  characterist'  .s  were  determineil  hv  eanlMl  (nm. 


parison 
of 


S  o 


f  tiic  ynunu  and  specimens  thi'ou^j^hout  lar-e  scrio 

specimens.      This  kind  .rk  has  led   to  the  coiii'lu>inii  tlm; 

it  will  ni>t  in  in«ist  instances  pi'omote  the  knowledi^c'  <it'  iiaLinii 
toluiiV  to  (K'scrilie  isolated  ;_'enei'a  in  other  formations.  \\  lnii  :, 
series  of  conut'cted  generic  j^i'oujis  can  lie  delineated  sraiidiii:;  ;:i 
their  serial  relations  to  each  other,  and  ilhistrat  iui;'  natui;d  l;i\(- 
of  ai'ranuenii'nt,  or  when  the  diagnoses  of  new  genera,  ivcii 
though  iscjlated,  may  indicate  imjiortant  facts  of  stratigrapluLal  m' 
geographical  distribution,  the  readjustment  of  the  older  and  lu  i  ■ 
comprehensive  names  and  groups  may  heeouio  imperative.  Tin 
Brazilian  specimens,  however,  evidently  belong  to  new  geiiii'a.  in- 


core 


ling  to  my  views  of  the  relations  of  species  amonu'  the  A 


IIIIIK 


niiwu  iiaiiR' 


nites,  but  for  the  present  any  change  of  their  welbk 
seems  unnecessary. 

All  of  the  Brazilian  .\nuiionites  arc  either  identical  with.  ii'>" 
closely  allied  to,  sjiecies  already  descriTied  from  the  Texas  licdsly 
Boeiner  and  others,  that  they  cannot  l)e  safely  separated. 

The  ])resence  of  sui'h  well-characterized  species  as  Xcfii'i  I'r-i- 
Ji)ii<l(t,  Aunnoiltca  Pfr/ir/'tm/s,  and  ]ierha])s  of  other  species  mi  tin/ 
western  as  well  as  eastern  side  of  the  Andes-Rocky  Mmrita;;! 
chain  in  IJi'azil  and  Texas,  indicates  the  connection  lietweeu  Husi' 
slopes,  either  across  the  Isthmus  or  west  of  P>ra/.il,  whih'  a  ctvM- 
ceous  oi'can  still  tlowed  over  the  wliole  of  the  noi'iheni  piirtinn  "t 
South  America.  These  facts,  when  considered  in  coiiv.eitieii  w'h 
the  di.sct)very  of  a  fossil  Ainiin7ti/trs  on  the  I.sthmus.  as  ivninlal 
by  Mr.  Alexander  Agassiz,  have  a  direct  bearing  upon  a  very 
portant  cpicstion. 


nil- 


PROVINCES  OF  si:n(jii'i;  and  alagAas.  ;;•.•:; 

Tlir  rxpoditioiis  of  IhcC'oiist  Survey,  us  is  ik-w  well  known  to  all 
ii,ituiali.-ts,  hiivc!  estiilijislied  tin'  t'lift  of  a  rumarkjihlu  siiuilaritv  lio- 
luaii  tliL-  pi-fsent  (lt'C'i)-so!i  fauna  and  the  spcck'S  of  cretaceous 
.'inrra  :  ami  it  has  licen  shown  tliat  the  surface  or  littoral  animals 
urri'  nmre  or  less  represented  liy  identical  or  closely  ailieil  sjiccie.s 
f  the  I'acific  side  of  the  Isthnuis.  Tims  the  (|uesti(in  has  arisen 
wlirthii'  or  not  the  closely  allied  oi-  identical  forms  are  the  de- 
^.Tiidauls  of  (Inlf  species,  which,  havin;x  niigrated  throuL^h  some 
;iiiririit  chaimel  subsecinently  (loscd  hy  the  rise  of  the  neck  of 
laii'l  tunniny  the  Isthmus  of  harien.  Of  course  the  first  step  to- 
wards thi'  solution  of  this  proiilem  would  lie  to  prove  the  existence 
nf  a  liiamiel  affording:  a  IVee  ])assa-e  to  marine  animals  at  some 
jirmdiuLi-  period,  'j'his  ;,dvcs  great  interest  to  facts  like  the  above, 
uhicii  appear  to  confirm  the  conclusion  of  Mi\  Alexander  A^-assiz, 
that  .luring  the  cretaceous  period  the  (hdf  of  Mexico  and  the 
I'aeilic  Ocean  were  really  continuous  seas. 


1  heard  it  frcquoiilly  reported,  tluit  larti-c  fossil  turtles 
were  louiid  nt  ^hiroTin.  One  of  lliein  1  saw  at  IJahia,  and 
it  WHS  iKitliiiijj;  l)ut  a  liu.u'C  Scjt/drtKui. 

Tlie  .MaroVni  limcstono  is  cvidoiitly  upjior  cretaceous,  and 
iii'lniiHs  lower  down  in  the  series  ilitm  the  white  tia<i'gv  liuie- 
>tiiiie  of  Sapiiealiy.  I  saw  no  trtiee  of  red  sandstone  like 
i!i:it  of  Kstnneia.  which  may  perhaps  nndi'rlie  the  Maruini 
limestone.  lhon,t:li  it  may  1/C  wantinn-.  as  1  have  seen  it  no- 
wiiere  else,  and  it  seems  to  lie  a  local  formation.  The 
I'Hiiitry  ahout  ]\rar(mn  is  liilly,  hut  low.  Tlie  soil  is  very 
li'li.  and  a  large  trade  is  carried  on  in  simar,  the  ji'reater 
I'liit  of  which  is  in  the  hands  of  the  wealthy  house  of  Messrs. 
S'lmr.nni  A'  Co. 

The  ^ll,)re  hetwcen  the  mouths  of  tlic  Cot...  juiha  and  ?ao 
Fiinicisco  Rivers  is  low,  with  a  few  scattered  hills,  and  is  of 
little  interest. 

17* 


:vM 


Cir.OLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GF.OC.RAIMIV. 


Tlic  linrra  oCtlu;  Rio  di;  Sao  Friincisco  is,  like  (li;il  -if  tlii 
Cotiii^niiha,  ohstniclod  by  saii(l-l>aiiks,  ami  at  times  ilir  i  u- 
trance  is  daii^eroiis,  oven  lor  steamers.*  A  liook-.sliiiiidl 
sand-spit  is  seen  oxtendin;^  IVoni  the  soutliern  side  (if  tl,i. 
entrance. 

On  enterinir  tlie  river,  tlie  sonthcrn  side  is  seen  Id  !,. 
swampv  and  lor  a  considei-aMe  ilistance  covered  li\  n 
grove-trees.  The  opposite  side  is  sandy,  and  tliiic  ;iiv 
some  larjjro  areas  covered  Iiv  line  dnnes  of  Mown  smikI. 
Since  IlaHeld's  snrvey  tiiis  has  nuich  chan^iiMl  it: 


laii- 


|i|"';ii- 


ance,  the  dimes   have    increased    in   heii'ht,   hnrvim:' 


<iiiiii 


o 


r  tlie    cocoa-trees   to   their    crowns,   and    encroachiiii:' 


Mil 


the    I'iver.*     Strongly  in  contrast  with  the  smootl 


I     SWCl'li- 


\u<X  on 


lline> 


s  ol    tlie   ti'rouniy:  dnnes   ai'C  the   irreii-nlMi'  cui 


til 


ical  hills  of  sand  which  occupy  a  large  jiart  of  the  i'(Uit;i! 

tin;  coarse  trailiim'  pLuit 


Aft( 


er  a  (iiin(!  nas  u'rown,  some  oi 


take  root,  and  shi-nhs  and  little  trees  sjjring  nj)  on  its  siir- 
Aicc.  These  jirotect  the  area  over  which  they  grow,  wliilc 
the  renuiinder  may  snlTer  removal  hy  the  wind,  Inriiiiiii;' 
little  conical  hills  with   tufts  of  veuetation   on  tlicir  tuiis. 


The  sand  is  very  fine  and  of  a  liulit  hrown  coh 


A 


llinl 


the  sand-hills  are  large  flats,  partially  occui>ied  liy  niuisiio 

and  jionds,  and  the  rt'sort  of  great  nnmhers  of  wiidiiiu' iiiul 

water  hirds,  cranes,  jdover,  and  the  long-toed  Parnt  .liriiii'!. 

Just  about  the  mouth  a  channel  called  the  li'io  PaminiL';! 


*  Liais  says  that  near  its  nioutli,  after  the  dry  season,  the  Sao  rraiiri<co  ilo- 
livers  2,8U(i  eiihic  metres  (jf  water  jier  second,  {/hill,  ili:  la  Soc.  '/«'  ^Vi*'/., .')"" 
Se'ric  2,  p.  390.)  Gardner  in  liis  Travels,  p.  104,  draws  a  very  discoiiinfrin;' 
view  of  the  prosjicets  of  rendering  the  Sao  Franei^eo  navi<:a!)ie,  and  s;iys  tli;it 
here  is  seldom  more  tlian  four  feet  of  water  on  the  bar.  Th(^iii;,h  di.iij,'eroii5, 
it  is  regularly  crossed  by  the  liirpe  coast  steamers. 

t  Gardner  describes  similar  dnnes  at  Peba,  five  leagues  north  of  the  Barra 
do  Sao  Francisco. 


riiOVIN-CKS   OF   SLKGIl'E   AND   ALAUnAS. 


:vj:, 


o  Fraih  i-ro  ilo- 

K.  ill'    fi'l'i'/.,  ')"' 

■y  iliscdiinifrin;' 
,  iuul  s:iys  lh;lt 
ifih  (h.ti;.rroii5, 

'.hnf  tlic  Barra 


;,avc.^  tlic  niiiin   river  and  ciuptiL's  into  tlu.'  soa  alfoiit  a 
IrllL'Ilt'  to  tlio  soulli. 

IVoiii  the  I'oiital  to  I'l'iirdo,  a  distance  of  alioiit  twonty- 
l';\i'  miles  liy  the  rivei",  the  shoi'es  oC  tiie  rivci"  are  very 
\nw  iiiid  Ihit,  and  there  ai'<'  many  lar^-e  i>lands.  Ascond- 
iiiLT  seme  distaneo  the  ini...,<irove  swainjis  disa[»i)eai',  and  a 


:■(!« 


til  of  auhiiiii   Is   eoninion,  while  the  <:iant    nlia   ura 


ss 


iiuL'times  covers  considerahlc  tracts.     These   islamls   and 
If  iK'i^jhhoring   Hat  lands  are  j)artially  wooded,  hut   the 


rrnw 


th  is  neither  so  hixnriant   noi-  so  thick  ;is  that  whirh 


Lluiiacterizes  the   Mncnrv  ami   Doce   in   the  sonth, 


th 


A.uiizniKis   in  the   north 


T\ 


le   rncr-hanks  are  (|Uite  low 


te  1, 


.tud  lai'i:e  tracts  are  cverv  vear  covered  lor  a  time  hv  the 
waters  ol'  the  annual  freshet,  which,  however,  deposit  a  fresh 
coatiaji' uf  mud  over  the  surface,  addinji  to  the  feitility  of 
llie  re;ii()n.  The  hanks  are,  in  some  places,  seen  to  he 
ooiniioscd  entirely  of  snnd,  hut  usually  thei'C  is  a  supcrlicial 
stialum,  more  or  less  thick,  of  nuissape,  or  yidlowish  and 
I'lowaish  alluvial  clayey  soil,  which  is  veiy  fertile.  These 
flat  lands  are  exceedingly  well  adapted  for  cultivation,  and 
aiv  especially  suitahlc  for  sugar-cane,  of  which,  howevei-, 
little  is  as  yet  planted.  There  are  several  settlements  o:i 
these  lands,  of  which  Piassaliossu  is  the  Largest,  where 
tlicre  are  several   cnjcnhos   for  the  manufacture  of  sugar 


aii'l  (.' 


nel 


laca. 


The  higher  lands  hcgin  a  short  distance  hclow  Penedo  on 
the  rii^lit  hank  of  the  river  at  Porteii'a,  and  consist,  so  far 
ii>  1  have  heen  aide  to  sec,  of  cretaceous  rocks  and  outliers 


of  the  <:• 


I'C 


)een 
coast  tertiary  sheet. 


At  Aracar(j,  a  jirominent  rocky  point  just  below  Villa 
^'iva.  I  found  a  scries  of  beds  much  broken  up,  and  about 
diusc  stratigraphy,  from  my  time  having  been  occupied  in 


396 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPIIY. 


a  search  foi-  ibssils,  I  do  not  feel  (|uito  sure.  Tlic  spdt  i>  rf 
coiisi(k'!al)l('  interest,  Ijeeausc  rocks  are  found  llieic  that  1 
liave  not  seen  elsewhere. 

I'here  are  l)eds  of  a  light  yellowish  or  hrownisli  ll'n. 
ti'rained,  shaly,  micaceous  i?andstone,  in  Avhich  J  luiiml  i 
nndtitude  of  fossils  Avhich  are  almost,  if  not  (juite,  uinlcti  ■- 
minalde.  ^Nfost  abundant  is  a  little  l)ivalve  which  has  lilli  ,i 
some  layers,  hut  which  has  left  only  empty  moulds  of  ih,' 
valves  ;  in  addition  to  these  are  what  apjjear  to  he  the  s]iiiitN 
of  fishes  and  fi'agnients  of  plants.  There  are  some  li'\•l'l^ 
of  a  light-colored  shale,  in  which,  however,  I  found  iin  lio-il 
reuuiins.  These  beds  are  considerably  inclined,  but  1  nuit- 
ted  to  take  an  observation  of  dip  and  strike. 

'['he  shore  is  cncundiei'ed  by  great  masses  of  a  consiilir- 
able  vai'ielv  of  rocks,  some  of  which  1  did  not  see  ///  .-i'/'. 
Of  these  is  a  light,  porous,  argillaceous,  warm  red  saiiiUiniii'. 
which  resembles  somewhat  the  sandstone  of  the  tcitiarv 
hills  near  Pitanga  on  the  Bahia  Railroad,  and  with  this  air 
associated  laru'c  masses  of  a  coarse  sandstone  and  ^'Miiiilnni- 
erate  coated  by  (day  and  oxide  of  iron,  in  which  (piai't/.  ami 
agate  pebbles  are  found,  wduch  rock  also  appears  to  lio  tt"- 
tiary,  so  that  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  we  have  luic  nvt  r- 
lying  the  fossiliferous  sandstone  and  shale  fi-agmenls  I'lum 
the  now  generally  denuded  tertiary  sheet.  The  ros>ilit'('r"ih 
Ijcds  I  l>elievo  to  lie  the  upper  members  o*"  the  series  ul' 
sandstones  of  Villa  X(jva  and  Penedo,  about  lo  be  descrihi'i]. 
and  which  I  regard  as  cretaceous. 

1  found  here  numerous  fragments  of  a  rock  with  a  snrt  ef 
oolitic  structure  which  is  very  interesting ;  when  a  fiesh. 
undecomposed  species  is  br')ken,  it  is  seen  to  lie  nrcle  np 
of  round  or  irregularly  s))herieal  masses  f)f  a  graniihir  Im-iwii 
quart/,  al)out  the  size  of  coarse  duck-shot,  fdled  in  with  a 


lie   Sjiiit  is  r'.f 

ilit'i-e  tliat  1 
iwiiisli   Inic. 

i      lullllll     '[ 

tc,  Hli(lrt(  •- 
•li  lias  liUci 
iiilds  of  tlh' 
0  (lie  sjiiiirs 
sonic  li'ViT^ 
11(1  no  lusvil 

Imt  1  'niM- 


a  CdllShliT- 

800    ///  ,.,7'/'. 

S!Ulil>|ii||i'. 

lie  tciliary 
til   lliis  aif 

d    vMllinlmil- 

(liiai't/.  ami 

s   to  liO  tl"'- 

'  ho  re  iivcr- 
noiits  iVmn 
:(is-ililrruu^ 

}     SOl'icS    ij( 

'  doscriht'ii. 


li  a  sort  cf 
'11  a  IVi'sli. 
0  nride  n]' 
u'ac  lii'nwn 
ill  witli  a 


rUOVINCES   OF   SLCCJII'K   AND   ALAGoAS. 


o'Jl 


?. 


m:.  ' 


Ml,.      I  '     I' 


Urn 


ccmoiit  of  !i  l)liiish,  transliicont  ('luilecdony,  in  whicli  are 
i,c(|(l('il  very  luuch  siuallci-  masses.  Tlicse  shot-like  ui-aiiis 
A\t\>v;iv  to  lia\e  Iieeii  formed  l)y  the  (illinu;  up  of  ^loltuhir 
cavities  l»y  (|uartz,  for  some  of  them  are  mimitt;  i^rodes, 
still  liollow  ill  the  centre.  Kacdi  has  a  thin  eoiiceiitrie  eoat- 
iiii  of  milky  e'haleedony.  In  deeom|iosiiin-,  tlu'  cement  of 
tilt.'  grains  heeonies  white,  and  sometimrs  is  lir>t  i'eiiiov('(l, 
k'uviiiu'  the  si'rains  j)r()jeetin,u'.  At  others  the  material  eom- 
|iiisiim'  the  u'rains  is  dissolwd  out,  leavini:'  a  hoiieyeomlieil 
>iiil;ire.  It  is  a  eurioiis  rock,  whose  formation  1  do  not 
I'l'i'l  ]»ro|)ared  to  explain.  It  looks  more  like  a  j)seiidomorph 
alt.T  t)illit(>  than  anythinii'  else. 

At  \'illa  Xova  w(,'  liiid  the  low.  I'oeky  l)lufTj)oint  on  whieh 
ilic  \illa,u<'  is  Imilt  composed  of  thick  lieds  of  a  fine,  sharj), 
whitish  or  sliiihtlv  yellowish  sandstone  without  fossils,  with 
wcll-iiiarked  oI)li([ue  and  irreu'ular  lamination,  and  a  strike 

X.  :.u'  E.,  a  dip  of  \:)^-'2{)^  s.  4<r  k. 

The  city  of  Penedo  is  Ijuilt  on  the  Alaji'oas  si(h\  at  the 
font  and  on  the  side  of  a  ridge  which  rims  from  the  left 
liaiik  of  the  ri\-er  touarils  the  northeast.  This  ridge  has  a 
str('|i  slope  to  the  southeast,  while  for  some  distance  on  the 
Jiurthwcstern  side  it  is  i)r(.'cipitons  and  aliout  fifty  feet  liiLih. 
Tiie  rocks  exposed  on  the  shor(>  and  in  the  (diffs  at  I'enedo 
moot  the  same  genei'al  character  as  those  of  \'illa  Xova. 
A  layer  of  dceomposed  shale  or  iday  is  seen  in  the  cliffs 
skirting  the  town,  together  with  some  thin  hands  of  a  fine 
slialy  iiiicaceiMis  and  ferrnginons  rock.  The  whole,  like  the 
\  ilia  Xova  heds,  dip  to  the  southeast  at  a  smaH  angle.* 
1  have  carefully  examined  these  sandstones  lor  f(jssils,  hut 
luivc  seen  only   some  hadly   proerved    remains  of  jilants. 

*  fiiirlniT  says  tliiit  tlic  siiiulstunu;-  iin'line  from  east  to  wust,  wliiih  is  (.lt- 

tailllv  illi'dlTrct. 


308 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


The  liill  nt  I'ciiL'do  is  covered  by  red  drif<-('lny,  lictwccn 
Mhieli  and  the  loek  1  I'oiiiid  a  sheet  of  (iiiurtz  peljliles,  min- 
g!ed  with  iinguhir  friigiiieiits  of  sandstone. 

The  PenrMJo  sandhtones  are  very  porous,  and  of  a  liin'  ;\\\t\ 
e\('n  sharpurain,  wliieh  makes  them  suitable  j'or  shai)i(iiii|n 
tools.  The  stone  is  highly  <.'steemed  Ibr  that  purpose,  and. 
owing  to  tlie  want  ol"  sandstones  oi"  the  same  kind  elscwlmv 
along  the  Dra/.ilian  coast,  it  is  exported  to  a  small  extent, 
finding  its  way  even  as  lar  as  I^io. 

T\h'  same  sandstone  shows  itself  at  Boassiea,*  about  tlnvc 
miles  farther  up  the  i-iver,  on  the  Alagoas  side.  U  has  luiv 
the  same  dip  and  strike  and  ol)li(iuc  lamination  as  at  I'c- 
iiedo,  and  contains  occasional  layers  of  pel)l)le.s. 

On  the  Sergipe  side  it  is  seen  again  at  Coijueiro  and  \'ill;i 
Nova,  ami  at  oue  of  these  places  it  has  been  (piarrieil  I'ni 
building  purjjoses  at  I'enedo. 

At  Carra|)ixo,  on  the  Sergipe  side,  the  native  eivili/nl  In- 
dians manufactui'e  a  very  good  rpiality  of  earthenware  IVum 
the  (day  of  the  low  grounds. 

The  city  of  PenT'do  is  (piite  a  i'es])cctable  little  town  of 
some  .■),()()<)  or  4.000  inhabitants.  It  carries  on  a  consideialijc 
conunerce  in  rice,  corn,  hides,  mandioea-farinha,  cotton.  Ac. 
Ac,  ^vhich  are  sent  to  Pernambueo  and  Bahia.  Evoiy  week 
a  fair  is  ludd,  and  a  great  concourse  of  peo])le  from  up  ami 
down  the  I'iver  assembles  there,  bringing  hides,  coarse  >\\<sAr. 
])ottery,  tobacco,  and  a  host  of  other  articles,  which  are  e.\- 


*  Tliis  iiiuiic.  wliicli  i<  !i|i)ili((I  to  a  little  stream  ami  lak<'  as  well  m>;  tn  ''n' 
settlonicnt,  is  of  Tii]ii'  (irij:iii,  ami  is  derlvecl  from  lioyo,  a  MTjifiit,  aiiu  f/o'^f. 
niitilateil,  the  name  oi'  a  speeies  of  serpent  wlileh  n|)pears  .as  if  it  wiic  inu;i 
lated.  See  Ttipi  Dictionary  and  Chrialomathla  da  l.iwjiut  Iinizili<<i.  I  '1" 
not  know  what  s]i('oii's  is  nicMiit.  The  same  name  is  applie'l  to  a  laki'  in  'In' 
jirovime  of  Hio  de  Janeiro  situated  hetween  the  Kio  Maeulie  and  ilic  liiu  das 
Ostras.     Dlr.  (i'n>;/.,  sub  voce  liua»»icu. 


PROVINCKS   OF   SERGIl'E   AND   ALAfiuAS. 


]'X) 


posed  for  salo  in  booths  on  the  broad  sand-l)cacli  bordering'' 
the  Idwn.  renC'do  is  a  callinjr-iilaco  fur  stcanicrs  (.•oniicct- 
iiiir  with  Bahia,  and  it  has  steam  coninHinication  with  the 
river  above  as  far  as  Piranhas. 

The  city  is  exceedingly  well  supplied  with  fish.  Among 
these  are  Tul)aranas,  Curimaiaes,*  I'ians,  Sai-ajius  (  Cara- 
jiiis),  I'ialias  of  several  si)ecies,  Caehimbaus  or  Acai'i's,  Pl- 
laiilias,  Pirampebas,  etc.,  A:c.,  of  which  I  made  a  large 
collection. f 

1  extract  from  my  journal  son\c  notes  on  the  color,  hab- 
its, iVc,  of  the  Piranha  I  {P//guccntrus),  which  .seem  t(j  be 
(if  interest. 

This  s|  3cies  of  Piranha,  according  to  the  testimony  of  the 
natives,  is  confined  entirely  to  the  SHo  Francisco  and  its 
triliiitaries,  though  other  species  of  the  same  genus  (or  Sci'ia- 
sahiio)  occur  elsewhei'C  in  South  America;  but  1  cannot 
VDiieli  for  the  truth  of  this  statement. 

Tlie  Piranha  of  the  Sao  Francisco  is  strictly  a  fresh-water 
fish,  and  it  occurs  not  only  below  the  falls  of  Paulo  Alfonso, 
liiit  also  al)0vc  tlicm.  It  descends  the  river  (piite  to  the  salt 
water,  lint  never  goes  intt^  the  sea.     None  ol'  those  1  saw  at 

*  I  liavo  spclk'il  tliis  iiuiiic  as  I  iicanl  it  cuininonly  iiniiiimiicud.  Rati-s  writes 
it  CnriiiKitd,  and  so  does  Fonsoca  in  his  diftionai'v.  The  Tiiiu  ilictiuiiai y  L;ivts 
it  Ciiii/imilit.  Tliis  fisli  1)cIoiil;s  to  the  <j::enus  Amxlus,  and  several  species  are 
very  common  in  tlie  Hraziiian  rivers. 

t  .\il  tlio  fishes  eolieeted  liy  me  on  liotli  jonrncys  are  in  the  iiiuids  of  I'ro- 
ti'>si)r  A;.'assiz.  Wlieti  the  al)ove  was  written  Professor  A;:assiz  intended  to  eon- 
fi'iliiitc  to  tliis  volnine  a  series  of  articles  and  notes  on  the  Irc-h-water  taiiine 
of  the  coast  I  explored,  hut  illness  ha.s  prevented  his  preparinj.--  tlieni. 

t  III  iho  Tu|)i  dietionary  the  word  "Piranha"  is  translateil  sfissors,  and  most 
writ<r<  seem  to  suppose  that  the  name  was  j;iven  to  tlic  li-li  hceansc  of  its  seis- 
.'iMs-l ike  jaws.  The  'ru])is  knew  nothinjr  ahont  this  implement  before  the  com- 
iii.L'  or  the  Europeans.  Piranha  (root  I'ira,  (isli)  is  an  ancient  'I'lijii  name, 
iiriil  it  was  doubtless  afterwards  applied  to  the  seissors  because  they  bit  like  the 
I'iniiiiia. 


4tt0 


GEOLOGY   AND   I'lIYSICAL   GKOGRArilY, 


Peni'do  were  uioro  tliaii  twenty  inclies  long,  but  tlio  fislioi'. 
jnon  say  that  tli«y  souicthues  •^row  to  the  length  ul"  two  liri. 
The  iipiier  hall'  ol'  the  liody  and  head  of  a  specimen  just 
canght  were,  wlien  seen  IVoni  above,  (jf  a  (bdl  and  i;ii!icr 
dark  bhiish-gray  or  lead  color.  The  lower  halt'  oi'  the  Inail 
and  body  have  as  a  gronnd  cidor  an  oj)a<ine  white,  over 
whit-h  is  a  wash  ol'  a  clear  Ijright  ganiljoge-yellow,  di'c|icii- 
inu'  in  some  soots  to  a  rich  orange.  All  the  vouiiu'  riiaii- 
has  I  saw  had  the  belly  of  a  rich  red-orange  or  hliMiil 
color.  On  the  sides  the  yellow  is  sometimes  shaded  with 
light  gray,  and  the  yelhjw  or  orange  tint  extends  ilsell"  iqi- 
Wiird  in  irregnlar  lines  over  the  dark  gray  of  the  liiick. 
The  pectorals  are  light  orange-yellow,  the  tint  deeiiciiiiig  in 
the  lower  antl  middle  jtai't  oC  the  lin.  The  anal  tin  is  on 
the  thickened  base  grayish,  washed  with  a  light  clear  yellnw 
tint.  The  border  is  light  purplish-brown.  The  dorsals  nml 
caudal  art^  a  dark,  dull  bluish-gray.  The  iris  is  pearly  white 
with  a  cloudy  patch  of  black  above  and  below  the  i)ii|iil.' 
During  the  freshets  the  water  overflows  the  low  grounds  and 
swam[»s,  and  the  different  kinds  of  lish  leave  the  river  pi<i)M  r 
and  enter  the  lagoons  and  quiet  overflowed  jilaees  to  sp;i\rn. 


*  (iiinlncr  ('rmvels  in  Brazil,  ji.  OG)  (lc<c'riti('s  the  l^iranlui  fish  as  follow.^ ;  '  I. 
is  coininoiiiy  uliout  a  (uot  in  Iciiiitli,  hut  sioiiiL'tiim's  it  is  as  much  a?  two  foil 
lon^,  huiiifj;  wry  iiiiicli  coniprcssetl  laterally  and  very  (Icfp  ;  tlie  Inuk  is  ul'  . 
(lark  hr()\vni>h  cdlor,  and  tlie  hclly  yellow  ish-whiic,  huth  heinir  thinly  niiukcl 
with  reildish  >-;iuts;  tlie  lower  Jaw  jn-ojeets  a  little  hcyond  the  upper,  iiml  'mtli 
are  armed  with  alioiit  fourteen  flatfish  triaiii,'ular-shaped  teeth,  up\vanl<  ot'  ;i 
quarter  of  an  inch  in  length  and  very  short."  Tlirs  deseriptJ'iu  appears  ti> 
reli  r  to  a  ditl'erent  s]ieeies  from  the  one  I  ileMiii)e.  llmnliohlt  in  lii<  TimmIs 
Vol.  II.  p.  lt)7,  speaks  of  the  Piranhas,  or  Curihis  of  the  Orinoco,  as  lia\i!i.. 
"the  hi'lly,  ■.nil-covers,  and  the  pecto'M'  amil,  and  ventral  fins  of  a  fi  le  i  rMii;,'e 
hue."  My  s]pccimuiis  from  the  Sacj  Francisco  still  |)reserve  their  oniiL:''  im'iii-. 
The  Silo  Franciscan  siiecies  apjiear-s  to  be  much  lari^er  thiiii  those  ul  iK  -Vuia- 
zonas  and  Orinoco. 


PROVINCES   OF   SERGIi'E   AND   ALAcioAS. 


401 


Tlio  fislionucn  said  tliat  tlie  I'iraiilia  also  leaves  tin'  river 
and  chooses  a  shallow  sjiot  w  ith  a  sandy  hottoia  to  dt'|)os- 
itc  its  etigs.  Stooi)ing  down,  the  (isherinau  with  whom  1 
\\as  convcrsijig  one  morning  took  up  a  I'iranha  lying  lie- 
I'orc  him,  and  showed  nie  Just  how  the  eggs  were  hiid. 
Tilt'  lish  having  chosen  the  ])roj)er  sj»ot,  swecjis  away  the 
,s;iiid  with  its  tail  and  anal  (in,  so  as  to  make  a  littk  sauci'r- 
>li;ili<'d  dej)rcssion  lour  (jr  live  inches  wide.  The  eggs,  of 
alidiit  the  size  ofnuistard-seed,  arc  then  laid  in  the  nest  in  a 
liall.  two  or  three  inches  in  diameter.  This  accomjilishcd, 
tlir  mother  fish  takes  u}*  hei"  [)osition  near  tin-  nest,  and 
k((|ts  watch  over  the  eggs  nutil  the  young  are  hat(dieil.  Wn' 
tlir  I'iraidia  has  enemies  in  the  hungry  little  I'ialtas,  which 
swaiin  ahout  in  countless  numhers,  and  IVom  which  she 
must  delend  her  eggs.  Looking  over  a  large  lot  of  I'iahas 
iu  a  canoe,  I  found  it  difficult  to  ohtain  a  ])erfect  siiecinicn, 
nil  account  of  the  mutilation  of  the  tail  a.nd  lins.  "This  is 
ilic  Piranha's  work  ''•aid  the  fisherman, '' and  the  nuirks 
of  tlic  terrible  teetl'  .  ,.  monster."  The  larger  fish  of 
till'  river  also  bear  similar  scars. 

The  laying,  accoi'ding  to  the  fisherman,  takes  ]»lacc  ]»rin- 
ciliiilly  in  October,  oi-  soon  after  the  freshets  set  in.     iMu' 
iiii  this  time  the  Piranhas  are  especially  fierce. 

<*iM'  fisherman  described  in  a  \ivid  manner  his  finding'  a, 
Piiaiilia  Avatchinu'  its  nest  in  a  shallow  ]»lace  bv  the  riser- 
■M'lc.  "I  thought  to  catch  it,"  said  he,  ''ami  wad(.'d  softly 
into  the  water  to  jiut  a  l)asket  over  it,  but  I  was  not  (piick 
enough.  The  fish  darted  at  me  and  took  a  piece  out  of  my 
Ic-.  Look  there!"  and  rolling  up  his  pants  he  showed  a 
imir  of  crescent-shaped  scars  left  l)y  the  fish's  jaws.  The 
''i>licniien  are  often  Ijitten,  and  almost  every  man  present 
ii;i«l  scars  to  show,  cither  on  the  arms  or  legs. 


402 


GEOLOGY    AND   I'lIYSICAL    GKOGRAIMIY. 


The  fislicrmou  imitod  in  snyiiiL''  fliat  just  a«  this  n,>h  is 
about   to   sj)a\vu   tho   c'uh)i-  of  the  Itclly  chaiijit's  IViuii  \il 
low  or  orangi!  to  the  same  color  as  the  hack,  hut  thai  mkui 
al'U'r  the  cii-gs  arc  laid  the  original  color  I'cturns. 

The  IMrauha  frequents  iiither  the  deeiicr  parts  of  ilif 
river,  and  altounds  in  the  eddies  among  the  rocks,  Imt  I 
have  set.-n  it  caught,  as  at  I'enedo,  close  in  shore,  wlicic  ihr 
water  was  not  very  deej)  and  the  bottom  was  san<ly. 

During  my  stay  at  Penedo  a  j)oor  little  idiot  sitlin'i  nn 
the  pier,  having  Ix'cn  IVightened  by  a  cannon,  rdl  over  iiiin 
th(,'  river.  The  i  \\  morning  the  Piranhas  caught  ui  the 
vicinitv  wei'e  I'ound  to  contain  i)orti(.)ns  of  his  Itodv.  Tlu  iv 
arc  numei'o  is  well-authenticated  cases  whei'c  persons  Imvc 
l)een  attacked  by  the  (ish  while  bathing  and  (h-voureil.  Only 
a  shoi't  time  before  my  visit  to  Pencdo  a  young  lady  \\a,= 
thus  attacked  and  eaten.  A  horse  fording  the  ri\('r  sH|is 
and  wounds  himself  on  a  stone  ;  the  Piranhas,  atliac'^'il  ly 
the  blood,  crowd  about  in  great  numbers,  each  cultiiii:-  (nit 
mouthful  after  mouthful  of  llesh,  until,  in  many  instamcs, 
the  voracious  ci'eaturcs  have  been  known  lu  devour  th' 
entire  aninuil  in  a  few  hours.  They  sometimes  throng  al"iut 
their  prey  in  such  mnnbers  that  they  may  be  seen  lca|rnii.' 
one  on  top  of  the  other  out  of  water,  in  their  eagrnc-^s 
to  get  at  it.* 

^o  far  as  I  could  learn,  these  fish  ai)pear  to  he  particnliuly 


*  Bates  speaks  of  the  f,'rcat  swarms  of  I'iranlias  in  tlie  AmazDiias.  llum- 
boKlt  (Travels,  Vol.  II.  p.  167)  says  of  the  Piranhas  of  the  Oriiiocn:  "'I'lie 
Indians  dread  extremely  the.sc  earilies  ;  .and  several  of  them  sliowcil  i^  lla' 
scars  of  deep  wonnds  in  the  ealf  of  the  leg  and  in  the  thigh  made  h\  tlii'.*c 
little  animals.  They  swim  at  the  bottom  of  the  rivers  ;  Imt  if  a  few  ilroi'S  of 
blood  be  shed  on  the  water  they  rise  by  thousands  to  the  sinface,  >(>  tliai  il  ;i 
person  be  only  slightly  bitten  it  is  difHeult  for  him  to  get  out  of  the  water  uiili- 
out  receiving  a  severer  wound."  : 


TROVINCKS   Ul'   SlLIlGIl'i;    AND   ALAGoAS. 


l(i:5 


;oiiiis.  Hum- 
iiioco :  "  The 
lOWi'd  li-  till' 
lailc  I'.v  tlii'.-i' 

lew  lliOI'S  of 

L>,  SO  tli.il  it'  a 
e  Wiiwr  with- 


(liuiocrous  only  (liirin.i^  tlio  s|»awiiiiig  sonson.     DiiriMir  my 

Fniiu'iscd  1  saw  ovcrvwlicrc!  l(iii('-l<',Lin»Ml 


\llV 


Mie  uii  lilt'  Suu 


wniiicii  standing-  in  tho  water  on  the  Itaiiks  washiiiii;.  ami 
that  iKit  only  in  sandy  and  (|iiit't  localities,  l)ut  anion<;'  the 
IS  at  I'l'opria,  while  1  I'ejx'atedly  !?uw  men  wading  in 


rocKs,  I 


tlic  water  and  hoys  l)atliin'jr  in  the  river 


The  r 


n'anha  is  nun 


:h  est 


eemei 


I  for 


lood 


md  n 


lav  ordma- 


siM'iies  IS  s 


;iiiii  111 


rilv  lie  round  I'ur  sale  in  the  market  at  I'enedo. 

There  is  a  species  orSerrasalmo  {: )  I'oiimi  at  I'enedo  called 
Piriiiii/>rha,  the  name  heing  evidently  a  c(mi|M)inid  iA'  the 
t\v()Tu|if  woimIs  Pir(tn/i(i  and  /)r/}<i,  oi'  the  fhit  Tiranha.  This 
mailer  than  the  last,  very  luucii  Ihitter  laterally, 
ihciT-white  Ixdow.  1  did  not  learn  that  it  pos- 
sesscil  aiiv  of  the  V(»racions  propensities  of  the  Piranha.*" 

Ilctweeii  IVnedo  and  l*ro[)riJi,t  a  distaiu'c  of  aliont  six 
lira/.iliaii  leagues  uj)  the  river,  the  Sergipe  side  is  hordercd 
liv  li)\v  hills,  some  of  which  are  irregular  and  isolated,  and 
loiiijiDsed  of  the  sandstone  ahovo  descrilied.  The  country 
hack  IVoiu  the  river  is  flat,  moderately  (devated,  and  appears 
tu  lie,  in  jiart  at  least,  tertiary.  On  the  Alagoas  side,  for 
Mimcinstanee  aliove  IJoassiea,  there  is  a  considerahle  stret(di 
lit'  l(.»\v  ineadowdand.  At  Morro  \'erinelho,  on  the  Alagoas 
>i(lc,  cretaceous  sandstones  show  theinselvo.s  on  the  shore, 
liiit  the  (lij)  hero  is  approximately  to  the  N.  "\V.  1.')°.  Thoy 
arc  covei'cd  by  red  drift-earth  and  great  qrantities  of  (piartz 
liilililcs,  and  at  Prazeres,  half  a  mile  farther  up,  we  again 
sec  till'  same  sandstones  with  a  dip  of  ahout  IS".  In  this 
vicinity  the  massape  lands  bordering  the  river  arc  about  fif- 
teen feet  in  height. 

*  (ianlncr  s])e.il<s  of  sccinp  drird  stnr^'con  exposed  for  sale  in  the  market  at 
IVni'ilo.    There  are  no  stnr^reons  in  South  Aineiica. 
t_Thi>  i.<,  I  believe,  the  correct  ortiiogmjihy,  hut  it  is  often  written  Propia. 


1 1 14 


GHOLOGV   AND   IMIYSICAL   GKOGRAPFIV. 


iMiMKlioca  flourishes  well  hclow  I'l'ojji'ia,  ainl  is  iilniitiii 
ns  well  nil  llu'  allinial  rivci'-haiiks  as  on  tlic  liillsidrs;  \h\[ 
on  llic  low  uroiiiids  covered  hy  (lie  eiiclienle  it  ciiiiiiot  rum,. 
t(»  luatiirity.  It  is  usually  plautccl  in  Fehniaiy  or  Mnnli. 
and  is  ucnei'tilly  lit  i'or  use  in  a  year,  when  jtlanled  on  liir 
upliinds.  It  is  also  eiiltixaled  to  a,  cousitleriiMe  extent  mi 
the  sl(»|iinjj;  river-lianks.  tJust  het'orc  the  enelienle  it  i> 
|»nlled  n|»,  iiiid  is  eaten  sometimes  when  not  more  (linn 
six  inches  lon^'.     Tin;  v'lwv  hegins  to  rise  in  Octoher. 

One  iiiiU'  Indow  the  town  of  I'roiiriii,  on  the  Serjiipe  sido. 
is  a  small  hill  cidled  (he  Moito  do  Chaves,  or.  as  ihdltM 
lias  i(,  ^h)rro  do  iOiiseliio.  This  hill,  whiedi  has  rockv  sido 
towiicil  (he  river,  I  examined  in  eompany  wi(li  my  t'licinls 
J)rs.  I>rnnet  and  Lacerda.  The  rocks  eomjiosinii-  it  ci)ii>.i,f 
of  a  series  ol"  limestones,  eong'lomerates,  shales,  and  miihI 
stones,  the  whole  of  whicdi  have  a  strike  E.  1.")°  S..  and  a  (li|i 
(d"  aliout  20^  to  (he  X.  To^  K.  The  lower  sti'ata  e()nsi>t  u\' 
thick  beds  of  limestone,  ealcareous  sandstone,  and  eoii;iInni- 
crate,  soni(>  of  the  hiyers  of  whidi  ai'e  made  up  ol"  sliclls. 
Tliese  beds  are  well  exposed  on  the  side  of  the  hill  neaii^t 
the  town. 

This  limestone  is  usually  more  or  less  arenaceous, and  oftoii 
contains  jirains  and  pelddes  of  the  undei'lyin|:j:  metamDipIiir 
rocks,  so  as  to  form  a  calcareous  couirlonierate.  In  <>n\\i' 
]»laccs  it  is  ciystalline  and  metamorphosed.  It  is  iisnl  (n 
some  extent  for  burning-  into  lime,  but  the  most  (tf  it  is  very 
im])uro. 

The  shells  so  exeeedinuly  ahundaut  in  some  parts  aii' 
laniellibranchs,  about  one  half  to  three  quarters  inch  in 
diameter,  and  with  veiy  tlii(d\  valves.  I  fear  that  ev<  ii  tlw 
tivnus  is  -whollv  unrecou'nizable.  Ovcrlyinj::  these  liinostDue 
heds  arc  shales,  rather  soft,  not  well  laminated,  calcareous, 


TROVIXCKS   OF   SKKiill'i;   AND   ALAtioAS. 


405 


[I  ol   sliclls. 
lill   iiraiv>t 


inicnconiis,  ami  ofti  prociiisli  ('(dor,  in  wliirli  1  fuiiiul  fi  l:ir;jf(' 
i|ii;iiility  of  holies  of  tclcoslcjin  lislu'S,  iiml  mm  im|ti('ssi()ii 
wliirli  had   tlic  oiithin' of  th(!  tiiuth  oTii  SoUihiniis.      A  fiir- 


Ih' 


•r  cxiuniiiatidii   of  tlu'se  shales  luav  icNcal   soiacthhitr  of 


iiiniv  interi'st. 

diiiiiu'  around  the  liill  wo  conic  to  a  hr(>ak  wliirli  cxh'iids 
trmn  tiu;  Inp  of  jjic  hill  lo  the  hottoni,  and  in  whiili  we  lind 
a  ciihI'iisimI  mass  of  hrokcn  |>i(r('s  ol"  sandstone. 

This  series  of  rocks  1  lia\e  relen'e(l  hi  the  cretaceous. 
Karilier  up  Ihe  I'iver  we  .see  wo  niesozoic  rocks. 

On  llalield's  iiia]»  a  note  says  that  in  the  Moi'ro  do 
KiiM'liio  there  is  a  riniiadd  dc  cal  ctn  inin'ss  i>-r(Uiif(>,  a  he(|  of 


iiijcstoiie  ill  <rnciss-i>'ranite 


T\ 


lis  is  not  correct,  as  is  seen 


I'nuii   the   ahove   deseriittion.      'i'lie  liniestones,  shales,  Am,'., 
overlie  ht'ds  of  clay  slate,  which    I   saw  very  iiadly  e.\|iosed 


nil 


sin 


the  river-side.  There  apjiears  to  lie  a  (hstinct  slaty 
idnre  to  the  rock,  hut  1  diil  not  see  eiioiiiih  of  the  Ibi"- 
iiiatioii  tt)  enalile  nie  to  make  out  the  heddin^.  1  have  seen 
1111  rock  like  this  elsewhere  on  the  coast  of  IJia/.il. 

Pi'(i|iria  its(dl'  is  hnilt  on  the  river-hank,  and  has  in  front 
i>f  it  ledu'cs  of  tla^ti'iiy  gneiss  and  mica  slate,  with  a  north- 
west strike*  and  a  di})  toward  the  southwest.  It  is  only 
a  small  villa<ro  of  little  iiniiortance,  hecause  the  lands  of 
lln'  vicinity  are  not  very  productive,  yet  it  exports  some 
ciittdii,  hides,  ttc.  A  little  lake  near  the  town  is  said  to 
aliiiiiiid  in  fish,  and  to  furnish  a  considerahle  rev(Miue  t(j 
the  village  government.     Opposite   Propria   the   lands  arc 


This  st:iko  is  almost  at  right  antrlcs  with  thiit  of  tlie  niiks  of  tlie  Scrra 


(111  Mar,  litit  it  coiTL'sponils  to  that  of  the  ;;iiL-is.s  ii 


nils  lii'twco 


11  Capi'  ( 'orrii'iiios 


ami  Taii;il(|U('n,  and  of  tiic  gneiss  near  Montevidoo,  in  \\iiii.li  the  dirci'tioii  is 
W.  i.")'^ -.'joc  X.  D'Orhigny  thinks  tliat  tlic  systum  of  uiihuaval  hy  which 
these  rxtra-Rrazilian  rocks  were  distiirlicd  was  very  nearly  as  (jM  as  that  which 
Uis'.urhal  the  y-neiss  of  the  Serra  do  Mar. 


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23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


406 


gp:ology  and  physical  geography. 


very  low  and  flat  over  a  very  large  area.  Behind  tlicni  aio 
seen  the  tei'tiary  cliapadas  lying  a  few  miles  off.  Win n 
the  enclicnte  comes  on  the  river  rises  some  fifteen  to  twenty 
or  more  feet  here,  and  converts  the  low  grounds  just 
spoken  of  into  a  magnificent  lake-like  expansion. 

Between  Propria  and  Sao  Braz  the  land  is  still  low,  Imt 
the  hills  are  of  gneiss  and  rounded.  The  rocks  fiHMnicntlv 
show  themselves  along  the  river-side,  the  dip  being  usually 
up  stream,  though  at  Agua  Comprida  I  observed  a  dij)  duwii 
stream. 

The  hills  in  the  vicinity  of  Lagoa  Comprida  are  300-400 
feet  high,  with  rounded  outlines  and  steep  sides,  which  arc 
well  wooded.  Farther  up  the  river-banks  grow  higher  on 
the  Sergipe  side.  There  are  very  irregular  cliffs  of  gneiss, 
broken  and  rough,  and  almost  like  those  of  our  nortlieiii 
gneiss  regions.  The  country  in  the  vicinity  is,  goneially 
speaking,  not  very  fertile,  but,  on  the  Sergipe  side,  (wo  or 
three  miles  from  the  river,  the  hillsides  are  highly  (.ulti- 
vated,  presenting  an  unusual  and  pleasant  appearance.  The 
same  gneissose  and  mica-schistose  rocks,  often  traversei]  ly 
large  veins,  arc  well  seen  in  the  bluffs.  Their  strike  vari(>s 
little,  and  the  dip  is  southwest,  varying  from  nearly  liori- 
zontal  to  forty-five  degrees.  The  river  thus  follows  the  same 
general  direction  as  the  strike  of  the  rocks. 

In  front  of  Traipu,  on  the  opposite  or  Sergipe  side,  there 
is  a  range  of  high  hills,  with  steep  bluff  sides  towards  (lie 
river,  and  a  long  slope  from  it.  It  is  composed  of  gneissose 
and  schistose  l)eds,  which,  inclined  at  a  rather  high  angle, 
dip  away  from  the  river.  Lying  on  the  southern  slope  of 
these  hills  is  a  thick  bed  of  a  compact  rock,  which,  ii.  the 
steep  rocky  sides  bordering  the  river,  as  well  as  in  tlie  trans- 
verse valleys  separating  the  hills,  forms  a  line  of  blutl's. 


PROVINCES   OF   SERGIl'E   AND   ALAGdAS. 


407 


Tiaipu  is  a  little  villairc  of  no  iniportanco  on  the  Alagoas 
siili'.  At  this  place  a  specimen  of  .specular  iron  ore,  said 
Id  have  come  from  near  I'ao  d'Assucar,  was  presented  to 
uir.  It  is  equal  in  richness  to  the  Swedish  iron  ores,  and 
if  ill  workable  quantity  wouhl  be  very  valuable. 


r^Jrfftss 


TRAiri'    FI!0:\I    NF.AI5    MAIiCACAO. 

I 


At  Marca(jao  flaggy  gneiss,  very  regular  in  stratification, 
is  exiioscd  on  the  shore.  Strike  N.  o5°  W.  Dij)  35°  S.  W. 
A  short  distance  above  Traipu  the  same  rocks  with  a  north- 
cast  dip  arc  seen  on  both  sides  of  the  river. 

The  country  above  the  Herra  do  Tabanga  becomes  every 
mile  more  and  more  rockv  and  barren,  while  the  vctretation 
becomes  more  sparse,  consisting  of  small  Imshes  with  a  great 
almiidance  of  bromeliaceous  j)lants  of  several  species.  Of 
these  last  there  is  a  very  common  one  known  as  macambira, 
with  narrow  leaves,  bearing  along  their  margin  long  hooked 
siiiues  arranged  wide  apart.  This  ])lant  furnishes  a  strong 
filu'c,  and  during  the  dry  season  its  roots  contribute  largely 
to  support  the  cattle. 

Several  species  of  Ccreus,  some  of  which  attain  the  size 
I'f  lai-ge  trees,  grow  thickly  over  the  rocky  hillsides,  and 


4(».S 


.GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRArilY. 


form  one  of  llic  most  clmractcristic  features  of  the  vcnotiv 
tioii.  One  of  these  is  the  Chi(iue-Clii(iuc,  so  conunon  on 
barren  and  arid  lands  in  the  interior,  and  so  often  des(  riliLil 
by  travellers. 

One  never  sees  the  Chi(i[uc-Chi(]iie  in  the  zone  of  fonst 
and  fertile  lands  bordering  the  coast,  but  as  the  foicsts  di>- 
appear  it  makes  its  ai)pearance,  and  sometimes  grous  to 
the  height  of  forty  feet.  Meloeacti*  also  abound,  touotlicr 
with  opuntias.f  With  these  arc  associated  many  species  of 
crotou  and  of  sapotaceous  plants.  There  is  a  species  nf 
Big'nonia,  B.  Tecoma  Mart.,  very  common  on  the  hills  iniil 
shores,  sometimes  growing  to  a  height  of  forty  to  tifty  lar. 
with  a  trunk  three  or  four  feet  in  diameter.  Its  foliage  is 
very  light  and  the  flower  is  yellow. 

The  Joazeiro  {Zizi/phus  Joazciro^,  a  very  beautiful  (nv 
with  dense  heavy  green  foliage,  is  rpiite  fi'C(]uently  seen  m;i 
the  river-banks,  together  with  species  of  Azo/hi,  Miino^^a, 
Gcoffroija^  Pcltophorum,  &c. 

Along  the  river  here  the  meadow  lands  have  liecomo  vow 
much  narrowed  down,  and  occupy  only  little  bays  iiiiKnm 
the  hills,  though  sometimes  these  are  only  shut  olf  from  ilir 
river  by  beaches,  and  form  lagoas,  numbers  of  wliicli  wf  liul 
all  along  the  river.  The  elevated  country  is  of  use  only  fui' 
pasturing.  The  thinness  of  the  soil  is  not  the  only  reasuii 
why  the  vegetation  is  so  sparse  and  ])eculiar.  The  surface  is 
yearly  burned  over  during  the  dry  season,  when  the  cattle 


*  One  of  tlie  most  intcrcstiTi":  of  these  curious  oaettiscs  is  a  large  sjiccies 
described  by  Gardner  under  tlie  name  of  Mi  locartits  Iloahri'ivn^. 

t  Gardner  speaks  of  the  occurrence  of  a  species  of  cociiineal  insert  on  tlic 
leaves  of  these  plants.  Dr.  Brunei  called  my  attention  to  the  same  fiH'f.  .ind 
assured  me  that  there  was  no  reason  why  the  insect  should  not  be  succe<?tully 
cultivated. 


PROVINCES   OF   SERGiri:  AND   ALAGoAS. 


409 


tVoil  on  tlic  cactuses  and  the  roots  of  the  bronicliaceous 
[ilauts. 

Till'  meadow  grounds  are  sandy  and  not  very  fertile,  l)ut 
iliiriiiu'  the  time  when  tlie  river  is  low,  mandioca,  rice,  beans, 
cotton,  mandubi  *  {Arac/ns  liijpoga'a  Linn.)  or  the  i)ea- 
uiit,  are  planted,  and  in  front  of  the  numerous  fazcnihis 
ih  [/'(do,  or  cattle  estates,  and  villages  the  green  plots  of 
these  plantations  bordering  the  river  ajjpcar  in  cheerful  con- 
trast with  the  hills  behind,  whi^h  arc  scattered  all  over  with 
louse  l)locks  of  stone,  and  bristle  with  cactuses. 

The  country  in  the  vicinity  of  Curral  das  Pedras  is  roU- 
iiig.  and  not  very  high. 

At  Jacobina  there  is  a  lag^^a  where  much  rice  is  planted. 
!)ue  niiin  makes  more  than  IjOUO^i^OOO  per  year  by  renting 
ii  lor  this  purpose. 

At  lutaes  there  is  a  group  of  high  hills  near  the  river, 
while  others  arc  seen  in  the  distance  on  both  sides,  but  the 
louutry  continues  with  the  same  general  character  nearly  to 
I'an  il'Assucar.  At  Lagna  Funda,  Alagoas  side,  strike  X. 
:^li^  K.,  dip.  X.  W.  3°  -  40^t     Flaggy  gneiss. 

Looking  ahead  from  this  point  there  is  a  very  hue  view, 
tlie  dnuitry  still  presenting  the  same  low  flat  lands,  ])ut  Itc- 
yuiid  we  sec  the  in-egidar  tops  of  higher  hills,  which  ap])ear 
to  he  of  a  different  structure.  At  Cajueiro  (Alagoas)  strike  f 
X.  %'  E.,  dip  80°  N.  W. 

Passing  the  island  of  Sao  Pedro  the  river  narrows  while 

*  Tliis  curious  and  well-known  ])lant  is  a  native  of  Africa.  In  Brazil  it  ^ocs 
I'V  tiic  name  Ainindoim,  Mnmhihi,  and  .}f(tii(Iiihiin.  Tlie  second  furni  appears  to 
I'c  the  cdrrect  one.  The  name  is  of  African,  not  'i'u))i',  origin.  This  plant 
i>  li>r;;rjy  cultivated  in  Brazil,  and  is  nsed  for  the  niakinjr  of  sweetmeats.  It 
Iiroduces  an  oil  cmjdoycd  for  hurninp;  and  the  manufacture  of  soap. 

t  Both  these  observations  were  made  as  we  pa-^sed  close  alon;^  shore  in  the 
t^ti ;uH ir,  and  Were  carefully  tuken.     llalfeld  makes  the  strike  northwest. 
VOL.    1.  18 


410 


GEOLOGY   AND   I'lIVSICAL   GKOGRArilY. 


the  liills  become  much  higher  and  excessively  rocky,  tholi 
sides  being-  covered  witli  blocks  of  stone.  The  rock  is  still 
gneiss,  traversed  by  many  veins. 

A  little  })eyond,  the  view  opens  ont,  and  one  looks  up  to 
the  town  of  IVio  d'Assucar,  bnilt  on  tbe  low  groiiiul  iior- 
dering  the  shore,  with  a  wall  of  high  hills  in  the  backgiDiiuil. 
and  over  them,  seen  away  in  the  distance,  arc  the  liiiic  tii]i> 
of  the  Serra  do  Pao  d'Assucar. 

Fao  d'Assucar  is  a  considerable  village  built  on  ilic  Al;i- 
goas  side  of  the  I'iver,  on  a  high,  narrow  strip  of  alliivinl 
ground.  In  this  vicinity  these  alluvial  lands  have  a  ouii- 
siderable  extension,  and  arc  well  planted. 


lookim;  down  the  kiveu  fkom  pao  u  asslcau. 

The  rocks  at  Pao  d'Assucar  are  gneiss,  but  siliceous  aiii 
flaggy.     At  the  upper  end  of  the  village  there  is  a  liii:li 
sugar-loafed  hill,  which  gives  the  name  to  the  locality.   Thi 
is  one  of  a  numl)er  of  hills  which  together  form  a  ranu' 
running  southeast,  crossing  the  river  here,  being  contimuM 
on  the  opposite  side.    The  gneiss  is  vertical,  and  has  a  stri 
of  N.  40°  W.     It  is  seen  in  the  same  position  in  a  ]iniiu- 
inent  bluff  opposite  the  town  on  the  ^ergipe  side.     Krtweeii 
the  town  and  the  hills  behind  are  some  quite  oxliiisive 
lagoas,  on  the  borders  of  which  rice  is  planted.     I  asci'iidcil 
the  Pao  in  company  with  Mr.  l>runet.      From  the  toj)  i> 
one  of  the  linest  views  I  have  seen  in  Brazil. 


i\i.' 


rPiOVINCES   OF   SERGH'E  AND   ALAGuAS 


411 


In  the  vicinitv  of  Pao  d'Assucar  arc  verv  many  cattle 
fazcndas,  to  which  bchjiig'  great  numhcrs  of  cattle,  and  on 
which  cheese  {rcqucijao)  and  hides  *  are  manufactured. 


immm 


^^?S-.-fi     f- 


CATTLE   FAZKND.V    AND    CAHDEN   KEAR   PaO   D'ASSITAR. 

Immediately  above  Pao  d'Assucar  the  river  narrows 
much,  and  the  banks  become  still  more  steej)  and  craggy, 
varying  in  height  IVoni  two  to  three  or  four  hundred  feet. 
The  hills  bordering  the  river  seem  to  \)Q  conical  or  dome- 
shaped,  but  are  really  in  most  cases  the  ends  of  ridges 
cut  across  obliquely  by  the  river. 

In  proportion  as  the  river  mirrows,  the  alluvial  deposits 
on  its  banks  grow  higher,  and  at  Entrc  Monies,  an  cxcced- 

*  Tlic  Iiides  are  taimod  in  stone  vats,  of  which  each  fazenda  possesses  one 
ornioiv.  Tlie  process  is  as  fol'ows  :  The  hides  are  cut  in  two  ieiijithwise  and 
soai<i'(l  in  the  river.  They  are  tlien  placed  in  vats  in  alternate  layers  of  Iiides  and 
till' iblies  of  Baranna  (Melanoxylon)  or  Catiit<in  de  Porro.  At  the  end  of  three 
(lavs  tlie  liair  is  removed.  They  arc  then  scraped  and  placed  once  more  in 
the  vats  with  tlie  hark  of  .l^y/ro  stanijK'd  with  water.  This  hark  is  removed 
tlirie  times  in  the  tanniii<r  of  the  hest  skins,  the  hark  rcmainini^  each  time  a 
furtiii;;ht  on  the  hides.  The  jirocess  is  finished  by  washinjj:  the  skins  and  ex- 
tundin^'  them  over  poles  in  the  siin,  when  they  ave  ])resscd  into  hoxes  for  expor- 
tation. Many  -xoat-skins  are  prepared  in  the  same  way.  At  Penedo  I  saw  a 
fhocniaker  hlaekiiij:;  leather  by  rnbbinjr  it  over  with  mud  from  the  bottom  of 
a  poiul  near  by.  He  assured  me  that  he  used  no  other  preparation,  and  that 
'lie  niiul  alone  gave  a  rich  black  color. 


412 


GKOLOGY  AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


ingly  jiicturosque  little  village  built  in  a  notch  amonir  lillls 
some  sevcji  hundred  feet  in  elevation,  these  Hats  are,  1  slinuli] 
judge,  at  least  (U'ty  feet  high.  At  AUegria  and  Cdlcito 
the  ruck  is  red,  very  homogeneous,  and  compact.    The  rivLr 


VIEW   NEAi:    ALLEGRIA. 


l)ecomes  so  narnnv  that  in  some  jjlaces  it  is  not  more 
than  four  hundred  feet  across,  while  the  precipitous  rorky 
■>valls,  three  or  four  hundred  feet  high,  make  the  scenery 
of  this  part  of  the  river  exceedingly  fine  and  Ijeautiful. 

P(jrto  das  Piranhas  is  a  miserable  little  village  l)uilt  on  a 
sand  and  gravel  bank  on  the  Alagoas  side  of  the  rivt.T.  at 
the  foot  of  the  hills,  which  rise  with  steep  sides  to  a  licidit 
of  about  seven  hundred  feet,  if  not  mor^.  The  river  lu  re 
is  somewhat  tortuous,  with  rocky  shores  and  occasional 
rocks  and  ledges.  At  the  upper  end  of  the  village  is  a  suiiar- 
loafed  hill  which  I  found  to  be  composed  of  gneiss, —  strike 
X.  20=  W.,  dip  vertical. 

I  had  lieen  told  that  the  country  on  top  of  the  lulls 
is  flat.  I  climbed  in  a  miserable  rain-storm  to  the  sum- 
mit of  the  steep  slope  bchhid  Piranhas,  a  height  of  wellniiih 
seven  hundred   feet,  from  which  in  the  intervals  between 


«h 


PROVINCES   OF   SEliGIPE   AND   ALAGuAS. 


413 


tho  showers  T  was  altlo  to  look  over  tho  whole  coimtry. 
liistfad  oi'  fiudnii^'  a  chapada  or  absDJulc  ])laiu  like  that  of 
;li('  tertiary  regions,  as  1  had  hcen  led  to  exju'ct,  I  foiiiul  the 
i^ciK'ral  surface  country  renuirkal)ly  even,  but  consisting  of 


VIEW   LOOKING   UP   TOWAIiDS   riUANlIAS. 

<i  irroat  numher  of  very  low  ridges  avIiosg  summits  all  came 
to  nearly  the  same  level.  In  the  distance  on  l)oth  sides 
(if  tlic  I'iver  pcrras  or  short  chains  of  hiu'h,  irreo-ular  hills 
were  visible.  The  whole  seemed  to  be  formed  of  irneiss 
ami  other  nietamorphic  rocks.  The  surface  (.)f  the  slope 
and  top  was  thickly  strewn  with  Ijlocks,  usually  angular,  and 
of  the  same  material  as  the  surface  on  which  tliev  lav  ;  how- 
over.  I  did  observe  a  number  of  l)oulders  of  a  red  svenite  Iving 
oil  jjuoiss  ;  Init  they  could  not  have  come  from  far,  for  I  saw 
the  same  material  in  |)lace  (piite  close  to  the  edge  of  the 
I'iver  valley  al)0ve.  Soil  there  was  scarcely  any,  and  the 
red  clay  and  pebble  sheet  were  absent.  Rounded  l)oultlers 
were  abundant.  It  is  not  possible  that  these  l)oulders  could 
have  been  the  result  of  decomposition,  for  this  action  has 
obtained  here  to  only  a  very  slight  extent.  My  stay  at 
Piranhas  was  necessarily  limiteo      .  a  few  hours,  which  I 


4U 


GKOLOGY   AND   rilYSFCAL   GF.OGRAPIIY. 


very  muc'li  rogrcttctl,  for  1  Imvo  sccmi  ho  ro<rioii  on  tin 
Brazilian  coast  wlierc  polished  and  scratched  surfaces  woiilij 
be  more  likely  to  he  jirescrved  than  here. 

Ifalfcld  gives  it  as  his  opinion  that  gold  may  he  fdiiinl 
in  the  vicinity  of  Porto  das  I'iraidias,  hut  1  do  not  coiisiih  r 
it  prohahle.  The  same  author  describes  the  coiuitry  fnnii 
I'iraidias  to  the  celebrated  falls  of  Paulo  AlTonso  as  l)(iiii: 
rcmarkaldy  even,  and  composed  of  g'j'cuiite,  which  is,  J  siiji- 
pose,  compact  gneiss,  or,  in  part  at  least,  syenite  ;  the  rock 
over  which  the  falls  [)recipilatc  themselves  being  of  tli" 
same  material.  My  good  friend  Mr.  Franz  Wagner  of  ha- 
hia,  who  tarried  behind  our  party  to  visit  the  falls,  said 
that  the  rock  was  sandstone.  Burton  speaks  of  sandstone 
as  occurring  there,  and  of  a  conglomerate  at  the  rapids  of 
Itapariea,  a  short  distance  above  the  falls. 

On  the  road  to  the  falls  from  Porto  das  Piranhas  is  a 
serra  called  Serra  d'Olho  d'Agua,  where  occurs  a  sandstone. 
This  rock,  according  to  the  reports  of  some  friends  wlm 
visited  the  falls  shortly  after  I  left  Piranhas,  is  wliite  and 
much  denuded.  Ilalfeld  represents  it  as  dipping  irreg- 
ularly from  the  hills  northward  and  iiorthwestwaitl,  and 
he  indicates  a  locality  where  sandstone  occurs  at  the  Ca- 
choeira  Cancamunhi  d' Acinia. 

The  Falls  of  Paulo  Affonso  are  situated  a])out  50  leagues. 
or  168  miles,  from  the  sea.*  I  have  not  been  able  to  visit 
them,  so  I  translate  a  few  selections  from  Halfeld's  descrip- 
tion of  the  cataracts  and  of  the  neighboring  country :  f  — 

"  The  first  fiiU,  44  palms  G  inches  [about  33  feet]  in  liei^'lit, 
throws  itself  into  a  basin  garnished  by  granitic  nu'ks  ahuost 
perpendicular,  and  sometimes  even  overhangiug  the  river ;  from 

*  Liais  savs  300  kilometres. 


I  quote  from  his  Explora^ao  do  Rio  de  Sao  Francisco, 


PROVINCKS   or   StUGIl'E   AND   ALAGOAS, 


41  r. 


this  liasin  tlie  river  makes  a  sharp  turn  to  the  left  at  a  ri-lit  uii- 
glc.  and  ]>recij)itates  itself  between  stee{)  rocks  into  the  hottoni  of 
all  aliyss  OG  [)alinH  and  1  inch  in  heijiht,  transforming  themselves 
ill  cunse(]ucnct'  of  this  leap  apparently  into  milk  foam,  castin;j;-  and 


CACHOKIUA    DE   I'AL'LO   AFKONSO.* 

lilowinp;  \ip,  similar  to  the  explosion  of  a  mine,  great  masses  of 
water  into  the  air,  which  are  turned  into  a  vapor  that  rises  still 
liii:lu'r Transferred  by  this  fall  into  a  river  of  milk,  the  wa- 
ters ])recipitate  themselves  in  great  billows  and  waves,  and  b.>- 
twucn  towering  masses  of  granite,  beating  at  a  right  angle  against 
the  left  bank  of  the  river.  This  side  consists  of  a  native  granite 
rock,  which  is  305  palms  [about  250  feet]  high  above  the  surface 
of  the  water,  and  having  still  120  palms  of  depth. t 

*  I  rc^rrct  not  to  be  able  to  f^ivc  n  better  view  of  tlicse  falls,  but  the  jihoto- 
frrapii  (Vom  which  it  was  drawn  was  not  a  ^ood  one.  I  am  assiirc(l,  however,  it 
{.ivcs  .1  better  idea  of  the  falls  than  any  other  sketeli  yet  imblisiied. 

^  "  Kesserre'  entrc  deux  iminenses  murailles  do  fiierre,  il  coule  d'abord  en 
torrent  et  sur  un  fond  dont  la  doclivite'  accroU  la  vitesse,  puis  tout  ii  eoup  il  se 
preciijite  en  trois  olnttes  conseViitives  dont  la  hauteur  reunie  et  de  84  metres. 


\' 


41G 


GKOLOOY   AND   TIIYSICAL   GKOGRAIMIY. 


"The  impetus  with  which  tho  waters  jjrecipituto  themselves 
agiiinst  this  wall  makes  thoin  constantly  ascend  and  descend  fiMm 
the  point  of  contact  with  the  rock.  On  the  right  they  dcsccinl 
in  right  angle  to  tho  bed  of  tho  river  helow  ;  hut  to  the  It  If.  as 
they  have  no  way  of  egress,  they  produce,  in  consequence  of  tlnir 
advancing  and  retiring  movement,  a  come-and-go  like  the  waves 
of  the  sea  on  the  shores,  from  which  has  residted,  for  thotisamls 
of  years  up  to  tho  present  time,  not  only  the  wearing  away  of  the 
rock,  and  tho  formation  of  a  little  bay,  l)ut  even  of  a  cavern  in  the 
rock,  whicli  is  444  palms  in  length,  and  whoso  month  is  80  jkiIuls 
high  and  40  broad  ividod  in  tho  interior  into  two  great  halls,  the 
dwelling-placo  of  tlionsands  of  bats,  and  for  this  reason  calleil 
Furna  dos  Morcegos 

"The  rock  in  which  this  furna  is  formed,  as  well  as  in  all  the  ex- 
tension of  tho  Cachoeira,  is  of  the  hardest  granite,  of  a  fine  grain, 
and  in  truth  it  is  incomprchensiblo  how  it  should  bo  possihlc  fur 
the  waters  to  form  such  a  cavern  in  a  rock  of  so  groat  liardncss.  1 
am  inclined  to  attribute  this  fact  to  tho  circumstance  that  the 
granite  in  the  direction  of  tho  cavern,  as  well  as  in  that  of  the 
river,  from  the  mouth  of  the  cavern  below  to  tho  Riacho  da  ( ian- 
goiTa,  presents  many  veins  of  calcareous  spar,  of  flesh-colored  feld- 
spar and  quartz,  which  have  a  thickness  of  ^  to  5  inches.  The 
granite  by  the  sides  of  these  vehis  is  less  hard,  and  sometimes  is 
decomposed  and  saturated  with  muriate  of  soda  [salt],  in  such 
abundance  that  those  living  near  tho  foil  mine  this  stone  on  a 

small  scale  to  extract  the  salt T  am  inclined  to  think  that 

the  circumstances  now  indicated  with  respect  to  the  ready  decom- 


La  dernicre  de  ccs  chutes,  la  phis  grande  dcs  trois  n'a  pas  moins  de  10  nu'troa 

d'altitiide La  compression  de  I'air  a  la  surface  dos  eaux  apres  la  chute  est 

telle,  qu'nne  picrre  lancce  avec  la  plus  grande  force  ne  pcut  rosister  uii  vent 
re'sultant,  de  sorte  que  sa  vitesse  est  aneantie  apres  un  parcours  de  6-T  me'tri'?. 
Cctte  particularite'  a  repandu,  parmi  les  habitants  des  environs  roiiinimi  que  le 
lieu  de  la  cascade  est  enchaute."  (Liais,  Bulletin  de  la  Sor.  de  (le'ofj.,  .5""  Seiie, 
XI.  pp.  390-392.) 


I'ROVIN'CKS    OF    SKRGII'E    AXD    ALAGOAS, 


41- 


position  of  that  rock,  over  tlio  breadth  wliich  comprises  all  the 
veins  lueutioned,  proljably  detorniined  the  excavation  of  tho  cav- 
ern below,  —  a  circumstance  which  would  have  given  place  to  the 
furmation  and  present  existence  of  the  falls,  whose  bed  is  really 
excavated  in  the  rock,  since,  for  a  great  distance  on  both  sides  of 
tiiL'  steep  banks  of  the  river,  the  soil  presents  a  ])Iain  without  hills 
ur  Hcrras,  which  could  have  determined  the  cataract  of  I'aido 
Aftuiiso. 

"From  Paulo  Alfonso  down  the  river  to  Porto  das  Piranhas, 
the  waters  of  the  river  are  narrowed  and  run  with  nuiny  falls 
between  steep  rocks  of  350  to  800  palms  in  height,  which, 
with  the  exception  of  a  very  hw  places,  as  at  Porto  do  Salgado, 
Monto  Escuro,  JSitio  Novo,  itc,  are  inaccessible  to  alhnv  of  descent 
til  the  river.  These  clills  arc  connnonly  called  here  Tdthndo  [or 
Tulliaduo],  since  the  width  of  the  river  is  generally  reduced  to  a 
few  lumdredi:'.  of  palms  and  sometimes  less,  as  in  the  falls  of  the 
Garganta,  where  the  river  is  only  85  palms  wide,  and  runs  like 
;i  mill-race  between  perpendicular  walls  of  rock  350  palms  in 
height." 


The  falls  of  Paulo  Affonso  arc  of  the  same  class  as  those 
of  tlu!  Jequitinlionlia  at  Palto  Grande.  lu  l)i)tli  cases  a  large 
river  just  before  it  reaches  the  edge  of  the  ])lateau,  and 
flowing  a  broad  stream  witli  a  -wide  flood  plain,  dashes  lirst 
down  a  slope  forming  a  series  of  rapids,  and  then,  a  few  miles 
farther  on,  contracting  suddenly,  plunges  in  a  magnificent 
scries  of  cascades  and  rapids  into  a  narrow  valley,  in  wliicli, 
witli  a  swift  and  rock-imjieded  course,  it  descends  to  the 
coast  plains,  wdiere  it  spreads  out  widely  and  flows  calmly, 
])rou(lly  on  to  the  sea.  The  river  is,  so  to  speak,  strangled 
in  the  Estreito,  or  Talhadao.  As  the  rocks  of  the  regions 
cut  through  by  tlic  falls  of  Salto  Grande  and  Paulo  Affonso 
are  lioth  crystalline  and  highly  inclined^  it  is  manifest  that 

18*  AA 


•ii8 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL    GLOGRAPIIY. 


I 


llicii-  retrocession  must  have  opci-atcd  in  a  very  difforfnt 
luaniier  from  tluit  of  the  falls  of  Niagai'a,  and  tliat  the  time 
oe('iij)ie.l  hy  the  excavation  of  the  gorge  below  the  IJraziliuii 
falls  cannot  be  estimated  according  to  the  same  rule.  I 
should  judge  that  the  falls  of  Paulo  Alfonso  are  finer  tliaii 
those  of  Salto  (Irande  at  ordinary  times  ;  but  when  the 
Jequiiiuhonha  is  swollen  the  Salto  nnist  be  a  grand  si^ht. 
P»otii  these  falls,  as  navigation  on  the  coast  and  on  the  rivci.s 
becomes  more  prompt  and  commodious,  will  erelong  lic- 
cume  well  known  to  travellers.  Burton,  who  visited  Patilo 
Alfonso  in  1SG7,  says,  that  if  Niagara  be  the  monarch  of 
falls,  Paulo  Alfonso  is  the  king  of  rapids.  Liais  thinks  that, 
seen  close  at  hand,  the  latter  exceed  the  former  in  ma""'' 
cence.* 

Ilallleld,  speaking  of  the  Tliacho  da  Yaca,  saysrf  "At 
mouth  on  the  sonlli  side  of  the  river  is  the  Lagoa  da  P. 
where  I  found  the  fossil  bones  of  a  mastodon.  Tlie  lag(...ii, 
which  consists  of  a  concavity  or  l>asin,  is  surrounded  by  tircat 
cliffs  of  the  said  rock,  and  is  seventy  paces  in  leuglli.  tea 
in  width,  and  ten  to  twenty-five  palms  in  de])th.  It  was  fall 
of  earth,  sand,  and  gravel  in  lieds.  Of  these  the  lower  about 
twt'uty  years  ago  contained  the  bones  of  a  mastodon.  The 
neighl)ors,  residents  of  the  Lagoa  da  Pedra,  had  eonnueuccil 

*  "  Yue  II  distance  la  cascade  de  Nin<rara  romporte  done  en  Tnaj:nificciH'0 
sur  eelle  de  I'anlo  Att'ouso,  niais  do  jiies,  ravaiitane  est  pour  le  Saii-Fiaiuisro, 
dont  les  eanx  I'urienses  sc  relevent  nvee  ]ilus  de  violence  ct  formcnt  uiic  si'rie 
d'ininienscs  vajiiics  cliarfrc'es  <r('ciimc.  L'eftct  de  ees  jrrandes  vafrues,  d'oii  sort, 
conime  de  la  chute  elle-nienie,  nne  gi;j,'autesqiie  eolonn^  de  vapeur,  ajoiitr  ii  !a 
splendeur  dii  spectacle,  et  la  force  expansive  de  I'air  ([iie  les  caux,  dans  ict 
etroit  canal,  cTitraincnt  et  conipriment  an  ])icd  de  la  chute,  jiroduit  nne  >orte 
d'ouragan  dont  la  puissance  eontribue  a  accroitro  rcNtcnsion  de  cette  i:nnionse 
colonne  de  poussiere  aqueuse."  (Liais^  Bulldin  de  la  Sue,  Ge'og.,  5""  Scric,  XL 
p.  391.) 

t  Description  of  the  328th  league. 


PROVINCES   OF   SKRGIPE   AND   ALAGoAS. 


419 


to  dig  out  tliis  cavity,  in  ovder  Unit  it  niifzht  be  made  to 
serve  as  a  reservoir  for  the  water  of  the  ruins,  and  as  a 
(iiinkin<r-plaee  for  cattle  ;  tliere  tlien  ai)i)eare(l  at  tli(^  cutting 
the  bones  of  a  mastodon,  which  they  tluvw  outsidt;  the  hasin, 
Ijut  the  intended  excavation  was  never  completed,  and  (wo 
thiids  of  its  lengtli  remained  full  of  soil  in  which,  at  the 
head  of  the  ancient  opening  still  a])i)eared  the  j)oints  of 
lioiies  of  large  dimensions."  From  this  vicinity,  a  few  years 
aL^o,  an  innnensc  collection  of  l)ones,  teeth,  A-c.,  of  masto- 
dons were  collected  and  sent  to  Rio,  where  they  may  now 
lie  s('(m  in  the  Pnidic  Museum. 

'•The  country  for  a  considerable  distance  around  the  hill 
ineiiiioned  presents  an  extensive  [)lain,  over  which  are 
ruiuid  dispersed  thousands  of  enormous  loose  rocks  of  gran- 
ite, and  sometimes  superimposed  one  on  the  other,  and  set 
sometimes  only  upon  a  point  or  very  small  base  without 
falling." 

I  have  already  remarked  the  character  of  the  country 
above  the  Serra  dc  Tabanga,  the  want  of  a  soil,  the  way 
in  which  the  surface  is  strewn  by  lilocks  of  stone,  and  also 
the  little  amount  of  disintegration  which  it  has  suffered.  I 
cannot  conceive  how  these  loose  masses  could  have  resulted 
from  decomposition,  without  showing  some  evidence  of  it 
in  a  nuich  dccom])Osed  surface  and  an  al)undant  soil.  The 
surface  of  the  country  looks  precisely  like  that  of  our  drift- 
covered  regions  of  the  North. 

Ilalfeld  states  that  granite  occurs  as  the  foundation  rock 
of  the  country  for  many  leagues  up  the  river  beyond  the 
falls.  The  term  as  used  by  him  is  rather  too  comprehensive, 
and  may  comprise  gneiss  and  syenite. 

The  Serra  de  Itaparica,  which  forms  a  long,  sharp-backed, 
uarrow  ridge  720  palms  high,  which  runs  from  the  river  nine 


420 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GKOGRAPHY. 


leagues  al)Ovc  the  Cacliocira  do  Paulo  Affouso  to  tlio  \v(  st- 
ward  for  several  miles,  is,  accordiug  to  the  same  authijr.  ((im- 
posed  of  saudstone.  "  The  sandstoue  in  the  top  (,>r  tlic 
serra  is  of  a  fme,  but  the  lower  lieds  are  of  eoai'sc  grain  to 
the  base,  which  is  situated  upon  granite  uf  exti'enie  limd- 
ncss,  whei'e  it  forms  l)eds  of  coarse  gravel."'  *  Tliis  siiiul- 
stone  is  doubtless  of  the  same  series  as  that  of  the  Sniii 
d'Olho  d'Agua.  ]Maiiy  of  the  other  hills  of  the  vicinity  are 
also  composed  of  this  sandstone. 

The  whole  country  was  evidently  once  oversj)read  by  n 
sheet  of  this  rock,  and  has  subsecpiently  sulTered  very  exten- 
sive denudation. 

The  clinuite  of  the  Lower  Sao  Francisco  jiresents  sonio 
interesting  features.  On  the  coast  i-ains  are  fre(|uent  uin! 
plentiful,  and  along  the  shore,  as  ali-eady  I'emarked,  tliciv 
is  a  belt  of  forest.  Inland,  howevei-,  the  climate  Ix-eomo 
more  dry  ;  three  or  four  months  of  the  year —  June,  July. 
and  Auirust  —  are  usually  without  rain,  and  evervthinu-  ibics 
up.  The  heavy  rains,  as  a  general  thing,  begin  in  Mardi. 
The  river  rises  to  a  great  height,  and  sometimes  overtlow  s  llir 
high  banks  on  which  the  towns  of  Proi)ria  and  Piranhas  nw 
built,  inundating  the  lower  stories  of  the  houses.  At  bnili 
places  I  saw  the  muddy  line  along  the  fronts  of  the  houses 
left  by  the  last  freshet.  Huch  an  immense  volume  of  waiii' 
|)ouring  tumultuously  through  the  racecourse-like  clianncl 
between  the  falls  and  Piranhas,  and,  as  at  Propi'ia.  spivad- 
ing  out  over  and  inundating  the  extensive  low  a'rounds, 
converting  them  into  a  great  lake,  must  be  a  grand  spectacle. 
The  annual  overflow  takes  jJace  in  October  and  lasts  until 
March,  during  which  time  it  is  raining  in  the  highlands. 

Nothing  strikes  one  more  strongly  on  the  Sao  Francisco 

*  Exploragao  do  Rio  de  Sao  Francisco,  p.  44. 


PROVINCES   OF   SERGIPE   AND   ALAGoAS. 


4'2l 


tliau  the  regularity  with  which  the  winds  ris(^  and  hlow.  In 
the  morning-  I  used  to  look  out  of  my  window  at  Penedo  ; 
all  was  still,  and  the  river  was  without  a  ripjjle.  Canoes 
and  montarias  dropped  down  on  the  eurreut,  and  all  was 
ri'iKise.  About  nine  o'eluek*  a  hreeze  from  the  sea  stole 
(jvcr  the  water,  rullHiig  its  surface  with  ripple-jtatches  ; 
tills  increased  gradually,  until  at  noon  a  stiff  wind  \\as 
s\veei)ing  inland  ;  the  montarias  s[)read  their  pictures(iue 
sails  and  scudded  before  it  up  the  river  ;  thus  steadily  the 
hrceze  continued  until  well  into  the  niuht,  when  it  hushed 
down,  and  a  calm  morning  again  dawned  on  the  rijipleless 
river.  This  sea-breeze  is  perfectly  regular.  Boats  can  sail 
ii])  the  river,  but  they  must  drift   >v  be  rowed  down. 

Tlio  Lower  Sao  Francisco  below  Piranhas  admits  of  navi- 
gation liy  small  steamers  and  sailing  craft  during  the  whole 
year.  In  August,  18G7,  the  river  above  Peneih^  was  formally 
ojieiicd  to  steam  navigation  by  the  Bahia  Steam  Navigation 
Coiniiany,  but  Penedo  has  been  in  communication  with  Per- 
iianibuco  and  Bahia  for  some  time.  Through  the  politeness 
(if  my  friends,  ^Ir.  Hugh  Wilson,  the  able  superintendent 
of  the  company,  and  Dr.  Anto.  dc  Laeerda,  I  was  enaided 
lo  participate  in  the  fete ;  and  to  them  I  owe  the  oppor- 
tunities I  afterwards  enjoyed  of  making  the  observations 
recorded  above.  To  Dr.  de  Laccrda  and  Dr.  Brunet,  who 
iicconi{)anicd  me  on  the  voyage,  I  am  indebted  for  valuable 
('outril)utions  to  my  note-book.  I  take  jileasure  in  express- 
ing here  my  gratitude  to  these  gentlemen  for  their  kind- 
ness. 

The  country  below  Propria  is  very  fertile,  and  there  are 
large  areas  of   rich   lands  admirably  adajtted  to  the  culti- 

*  Giirtlner  says  that  the  sea  breeze  reaches  Penedo  about  noon,  which  is 
not  correct. 


422 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GKOGUAPHY. 


vation  of  siigar-cano,  cotton,  mandioca,  (to.  The  region 
al)ovc  Proj)ria  is  proper  fur  grazing.  The  wliole  Lower  .^uo 
Francisco  forms  a  district  of  much  promise. 

Tlic  coast  of  the  province  of  Ahigoas  is  formed  In-  ;i 
l)road  belt  of  tertiary  lanils  of  the  same  general  character  as 
those  south  of  Bahia.  The  country  embraced  in  tlii.s  licit 
is  a  vast  elevated  plain  two  or  three  hundred  feet  al>ovc  tlio 
sea.  The  western  or  interior  j)art  of  the  province  is  a  table- 
land of  gneiss,  the  continuation  northward  of  the  gneiss 
district  of  the  Sao  Francisco  already  described.  It  is  dry, 
barren,  and  fit  only  for  grazing. 

At  Jequiti,  some  miles  south  of  ^faccio,  the  tertiary  Idiiffs 
come  down  to  the  sea  line,  forming  a  long  range  of  clifts  of 
a  bright  red  color,  like  the  Barreiras  do  8iri.  In  the  south, 
I  know  of  only  one  lake  which  occupies  a  basin  of  doniida- 
tion  in  this  tertiary  sheet,  and  that  is  the  Lagoa  Juparaium 
on  the  Rio  Doce  ;  but  in  the  province  of  Alagoas  tlioro  are 
several  such  lakes,  and  it  is  from  them  that  the  jiroviiKt 
takes  its  name.  These  lakes  in  Alagoas  are  lona-  ajul  luu- 
row,  and  have  usually  a  nortliwest  trend.  The  valleys  oceii- 
])ied  by  the  Lagoa  do  Xorte  at  ^laceio,  and  of  the  Lagna 
do  Sul  a  short  distance  to  the  south  of  Maceit),  open  orit 
broadly  to  the  sea  ;  but  a  strip  of  sand  more  or  less  wide. 
extending  across  their  mouths,  bars  out  the  sea.  The 
Lagoa  do  Xorte  at  Macei6  is  salt.  It  al)ounds  in  lislu  and 
it  is  said  that  sea-turtles  are  found  in  it.  The  Lag'Sa  do 
Norte  at  ^Maceio  strongly  reminds  one  of  the  lakes  of  Ceiiiral 
New  York,  —  Cayuga  or  Seneca,  for  instance.  These  lakes 
of  Alagoas,  as  well  as  Juparanita,  are  very  deep,  and  tlieir 
basins  must  have  been  excavated  at  a  time  when  tho  laud 
stood  at  a  greater  height  than  at  present. 

Tiie  city  of  Macei6  is  built  at  the  mouth  of  one  of  the 


PROVINCES   OF   SERGIPE   AND   ALAGoAS. 


423 


laiycst  of  these  valleys,  and  at  the  foot  of  the  Lagna  do 
Xoite.    The  entrainic  to  the  valley  is  barred  by  a  wide  strip 
(if  recently  elevated  sands,  covered  with  a  low  and  sjiarsc 
veuvtation,  consisting  of  clunii)S  of  bushes,  among  which  the 
firueira  (^Schinus  terehinthlfolins'),  as  Gardner  has  remarked, 
is  very  abundant,  together  with  si)ecies  of  DioKp^rus,  EsfJi- 
veilem,  Uriocaulon,  Marcetia,  Cereus,  Me/ocactiis,  Sec.     The 
lagoa  communicates  with  the  sea  l)y  a  narrow  channel  aci'oss 
this  Hat.    The  tertiary  plains  are  almost  perfectly  level,  and 
cuiuc  down  close  to  the  coast  line.     They  have  stec])  slojies 
tcmards  the  lakes,  and  the  same  towards  the  sea,  where,  at 
their  feet,  lie  sand  plains  ;  but  they  are  precipitous  when  the 
>ca  washes  their  base.     The  average  height  of  these  tertiary 
phuns  along  the  coast  is  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet, 
ihoiigh  they  evidently  rise  gradually  toward  the  interior  as 
they  do   elsewhere.      From   the  top  of  the  lighthouse  at 
Maccio,  built  on  the  edge  of  this  plain,  the  eye  ranges  for  a 
hiiig  distance  both  up  and  down  the  coast,  and  into  the 
iutciior.     Save  the  depression  of  the  lagna,  the   country, 
appears  from  the  sea  to  be  level  ;  ])ut  inland,  at  the   dis- 
taiiee  of  a  few  leagues,  arc  visible  the  tops  of  a  few  hills, 
evidently  of  some  earlier  formation,  l)ut  proljably  gneiss. 
The  slopes  of  the  tertiary  lands,  as  elsewhere,  are  fertile  and 
heavily  wooded,  but  the  higher  plain  is  as  usual  exceedingly 
i!rv,  sup])orting  a  dense  growth  of  small  bushes,  with  many 
Licnri  {)alms.     The  character  of  the  vegetation  is,  as  I  have 
ahcady  remarked  in  speaking  of  the  Rio  do  Sao  Francisco, 
not  wholly  due  to  natural  causes  ;   for  this  whole  country 
has  lieen  repeatedly  burned  over,  and  the  virgin  forest  de- 
stroyed.    During  the  political  disturbances  a  few  years  ago 
hirge  tracts  \\ere  fired  purposely. 
A  stranger  will  occasionally  oljserve  in  the  pavement  of 


424 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


the  streets  palaeozoic  rocks  contaiinu}^  a  few  fossils,  wlijcli 
might  mi^>lcad  one  if  he  did  not  know  that  they  were  bi(jiiu|it 
thither  from  Nurlh  America  as  l)allast.  Large  quant itic-, 
of  the  finer  (jualities  of  Rio  de  Janeiro  gneiss  arc  cairieil 
along  the  coast,  and  used  both  for  building  and  pavinti';  luit 
it  is  of  so  ])eculiar  a  quality  that  one  learns  to  recognize 
it  immediately  wherever  it  is  found. 

The  uj)per  beds  of  the  tertiary  sheet  arc  well  exposal  in 
a  cliff  and  cutting  on  the  side  of  the  spur  on  whicli  tlir 
lighthouse  is  built,  behind  the  Matriz  church.  The  lnwcr 
bed  seen  consists  of  a  soft  yellowish  or  reddish  argillacL'ous 
sandstone,  very  loose  in  texture  and  full  of  quartz  [(chlilos. 
"which  arc  arranged  in  layers  and  lenticular  masses.  Tlicie 
are  some  pebbles  of  a  white  substance  that  looks  like  do- 
composed  felds[)ar.  The  fragments  of  quartz,  whether  in  tlie 
foi'ui  of  pebljlcs  or  sand-grains,  are  more  or  less  roumli'd. 
Over  this  lies  a  thick  mass,  very  indistinctly  stratificii.  of 
red,  pink,  and  white  variegated  soft,  friable  argilhicooiis 
sandstone,  of  the  same  general  character  as  that  fuuiid 
in  the  southern  part  of  the  province  of  Espirito  Santo,  nml 
at  Par/f.  on  the  Amazonas.  The  colors  of  these  bods  aiv 
very  warm,  and  are  distributed  unevenly.  Over  all  is  a 
layer  of  clay  and  soil  with  pebbles  beneath,  like  the  usuul 
drift  coating  of  the  tertiary  plains. 

The  tertiary  coast  belt  extends,  to  my  knowledge,  some 
thirty  to  forty  miles  above  Macei6,  and  I  have  seen  tlic 
same  kind  of  a  coast  fifty  miles  south  of  Pernambuco. 

The  flat-topped  hills  in  the  vicinity  of  Cape  Sant.  Au<i'n^- 
tinho  arc  portions  of  this  sheet,  which  is  much  worn  away 
in  the  vicinity  of  Pernambuco.  The  country  back  (  f  Vcv- 
nambuco  is  quite  hilly,  and  it  is  probable  that  cretaceous 
rocks  will  be  found  there. 


PROVINCES   OF   SKRGIPE   AND   ALAGuAS. 


42 


:o 


Northward  of  Pernambuco  I  linvo  seen  the  same  kind 
of  coast  in  the  province  of  Rio  Grande,  where  the  lands> 
are  precisely  like  those  of  Maeeii'i,  tlie  vaHey.s  liaving  tlio 
same  steeply  sloping  sides  so  characteristic  of  the  tertiary 
plains. 

Tlio  city  of  ]\racei6  is  a  town  of  respectable  size,  built 
a  short  distance  inland,  in  part  on  a  slight  ehn-ation  at  the 
liasi' of  the  bluits  on  the  noi-lh  side  of  the  valley.  On  the 
soa-sliore  is  built  the  town  of  dai'uuna,  which  is  the  j)ort  of 
Maccio.  The  flat  lands  in  the  vicinity  of  ]!daccio  are  cov- 
ei'od  with  cocoa  palms,  Avhich  give  to  the  place  a  vei-y  pretty 
ijijioai-ance.  Dendo  pahns  ai'e  also  numerous,  and  I  saw 
a  li'w  (late  palms  which  bore  fruit,  A  few  specimens  of  the 
Assahi  {Euterpe  oleracea^  of  the  Amazonas  are  ibund  here. 

The  harbor  is  formed  by  a  line  of  coral  reefs,  which  extend 
off  shore  at  a  distance  of  half  a  mile  or  more,  and  protect 
shipping  from  the  northeast  winds;  but  the  harbor  is  not 
M'll  protected  during  southerly  storms,  and,  what  is  worse, 
it  is  filling  up  by  the  drift  of  samls  over  the  reef.  The 
shore  is  a  sand  beach,  from  wliich  long  |)iers  are  built  out ; 
hut  owing  to  the  sea,  the  shi)iping  cannot  come  along- 
side, and  goods  are  landed  in  lighters.  The  principal  trade 
iif  the  city  consists  in  sugar,  cotton,  etc.,  which  are  princi- 
pally  sent  to  Pcrnaml)Uco.  As  al)ove  remarked,  the  ui)per 
phiin  appears  to  be  very  dry  ;  and  in  the  vicinity  of  ]\[acei6, 
at  least,  is  not  cultivated.  The  slopes  of  the  tertiary  lands 
are  very  fertile,  ami  usually  very  lioavily  wooded  ;  as  also 
f^i'e  the  alluvial  lands  bordering  the  lake,  which  last  are 
extensively  planted. 

The  water  of  Maceio  is  bad  ;  at  the  time  of  my  visit  steps 
were  being  taken  to  supply  the  city  with  good  water  from 
the  river  Bebidouro. 


426 


GEOLOGY  AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


The  Comjmnhia  Bahiana  was  about  to  put  two  little 
steamers  on  tlic  Lagoa  do  Norte. 

AVhilo  at  Maccio,  1  heard  a  Schhlo  bUuminoso  spokoii  of 
as  occurring  in  the  low  lauds  near  the  Lagoa  do  Sul.  I  was 
unable  to  visit  the  locality,  but,  from  the  information  I  re- 
ceived, it  seems  to  be  an  inflammable  vegetal )le  dc|)osit  of 
very  recent  date,  underlying  the  sands  of  a  plain  similar  to 
the  lower  plain  of  Mucciu. 


PROVINCE   OF   PERNAM15UC0. 


421 


lit  two   little 


CHAPTER    X. 

PROVINCE     OF    PEUNAMBUCO. 

The  Limits,  Area,  &c.,  of  tlie  Province.  —  Its  Topojirapliy,  Geolojry,  Climate, 
Sdils,  &('.  —  Tlic  Rivers.  —  I'rudiictious  of  tiic  Province.  —  The  City  of  Per- 
nuiiilnico  or  Recife.  —  derivation  of  these  Names.  —  Situation  of  tiie  City. — 
Tli('  St(mc  Reef. —  The  Port  foi-nied  hy  it.  —  Shallowness  of  Water  along  this 
[iH't  of  the  Coast.  —  i'Ci'namb'ico  a  Callinj^  Station  for  Foreign  Sliiiipiii;^.  — 
The  IVrnainhueo  and  Sao  Francisco  Railroad.  —  Taiile  of  Ilei-hts  along  the 
Line. —  Island  of  Itamaraea. —  Fossiliferous  Limestones. —  Fertility  of  the 
Island,  Cocoa  Palm  Groves,  &c.  —  Ferniindo  de  Noronha.  —  Darwin's  De- 
scription of  the  Geology  of  the  Island.  —  Its  Dryness  and  Sterility. 

Tiu.s  rich  and  populous  proviucc  1ms  been  so  littlo  ex- 
plored by  the  physical  geographer  and  geologist,  that  it  is 
not  possible  to  give  more  than  a  very  general  sketch  of  its 
physical  features,  —  a  sketch  which  the  writer  hopes  future 
explorations  may  help  him  to  fill  out  with  needed  detail. 

The  province  comprises  the  northern  side  of  the  basin  of 
the  Rio  dc  Sao  Francisco  from  the  point  called  Pao  d'Arara 
10  the  llio  Moxoto,  a  few  miles  above  the  Cachocira  dc 
Pimlo  Affonso.  East  of  that  point  the  little  province  of 
Alugnas  is  wedged  in  between  it  and  the  Sao  Francisco. 
The  coast  line  of  the  province  is  only  about  forty-four 
leagues  in  length.  The  superficial  area  of  the  province  is 
Tariously  estimated  at  from  4,467  (Pompco)  to  7,200  square 
leagues  of  twenty  to  a  degree.* 

The  province  is  separated  from  that  of  Piauhy  by  the 
narrow  plateau  known  under  the  name  of  the  Serra  dos 

*  Dr.  Almeida,  in  his  Atlas,  makes  it  5,287. 


i 


428 


GF.OLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GF-OGRAPIIV. 


Dois  Innrios  and  Sorra  A'cnucllia.  Fi'oin  Toaru  i(  is 
separated  liy  tlio  eliapadas  or  plateaus  known  under  tlii> 
name  of  >ei'ra  Ararii)e,  while  the  Serra  <los  Cuiriri's  \"(  1- 
lios  se[)ai'ates  it  from  the  ])rovlu('C  of  Parahyha,  whicli  lies 
just  to  the  north.  Farther  on,  in  treating  of  the  proviiuT; 
of  Piauhy  and  Ceara,  1  shall  discuss  the  facts  we  jto^scss 
relative  to  the  structure  of  the  Serras  Dous  Irniaos  iiml 
Araripe,  which,  as  already  remarked,  app(\'ir  to  consist  in 
the  main  of  a  narrow  strip  of  horizontally  disposed  tcrtiiiiv 
sandstones  lying  along  the  summit  of  a  ridge  of  mctanioi  jiliir 
rock. 

We  have  already  seen  from  Halfeld,  Burton,  and  others, 
that  the  part  of  the  province  I)ordering  the  Uio  de  Sjlo 
Francisco  is  composed  of  umch  distur1,>ed  gneissoso  ami 
other  metamorphic  rocks,  here  and  there  overlaid  hy  ]tal(lio> 
of  horizontal  sandstones  and  associated  rocks,  like  tho'-c  of 
the  Sao  Francisco  valley  farther  uj).  The  great  mass  (ifliio 
western  pai-t  of  the  country  appears  to  he  formed  of  gneiss. 
mica-schist.  A'c,  and  these  rocks  here  and  there  afford  uold. 
hut,  so  far  as  I  can  learn,  not  to  any  very  large  extent.  Of 
the  mountain  ranges  of  the  province  next  to  notliinci'  is 
known,  and  they  arc  very  inaccurately  represented  on  ilic 
maps.  From  the  description  of  some  who  have  visited  tlio 
Serra  dos  Cairirfs  Yelhos,  it  would  aiipear  that  they  weic  in 
part  formed  of  horizontal  sandstones  like  the  Serra  ,\raiijie. 
Some  of  the  mountains  of  the  interior  of  the  province  arc 
of  consideral)lc  elevation,  though  I  cannot  learn  that  any 
exceed  4,000  feet  in  height.* 

Pompcof  says  that  the  coast  for  a  width  of  ten  to  fifteen 

*  Some  of  tlicsc  lii^lilnnds  are  vi-^ihlc  from  the  sea,  as  for  instance  the  Serra 
Scllada,  whieli  one  sees  lying  a  few  leaguea  liack  of  Cape  St.  Augii.>tinIio. 
t  Geographia,  p.  4'25. 


s-«a 


PROVIXCE   OF   PF.RNAMr.LXO. 


420 


Icairuoa  is  low.  Tliis  ))orti()ii  is  oovoi-imI  in  part  liy  (iiiito 
iic.i\y  \V(t()(ls.  It  is  very  I'crtilc,  jukI  is  called  Diaffds.  Bo- 
Miiiil  tills  llierc  is  another  zone  ol"  uneven,  unduliitinu'  coun- 
ny  coNei'ed  by  cinTdsco,  and  dry,  hut  it  iirodnees  hirn-e  crops 
of  rntton  and  V(\uetahlos.  'J'he  interior,  which  o()(.s  hy  tho 
iianu'  of  scrfdi),  is  very  mountainous,  stony,  and  dry,  being 
tlr  thi-  nothing  but  ])asturagc. 

The  same  author  says  that  "  the  interior,  jirincipally  on 
ijie  liordei'S  of  the  Silo  Francisco  and  of  the  province  of 
riuiiliy  Is  subject  to  droughts,  like  the  ])rovinccs  of  the  north  ; 
still  it  does  not  j»rescnt  tho  sandy  deserts  and  the  verdurous 
I'ltKCs  seen  l»y  the  traveller  Kostcr."  * 

The  coast  is  low,  and,  generally  speaking,  resemltles  that 
of  the  province  of  ^Vlagoas  ;  consisting  along  the  shore  of  a 
more  or  less  wide  strij)  of  tertiary  IkmIs,  which,  though 
-inietiuies  extensively  denuded,  form  high  red  cliffs  i)re- 
>t'iif((l  to  the  sea,  as  in  the  vicinity  of  Cape  Ht.  Angustinho. 
rmlerlvinii'  these  are  in  some  loealities  cretaceous  I'ocks 
which  have  ne^'er  been  carefully  examined.  The  tertiary 
licds  have  been  swept  away  over  considerable  tracts  which 
WL'ic  occupied  by  tho  sea  just  ])revious  to  the  last  rise  of 
tlie  coast,  forming  deep  ''vlentations  in  the  coast  line.  On 
Mich  ail  indentation,  now  filled  nj)  with  sand  and  alluvial  de- 
I"'sits.  the  city  of  Pernambuco  now  stands.  1  am  excecd- 
iiitily  sorry  that,  though  I  have  three  different  times  visited 
IVrnaniliuco,  I  have  never  l)een  aide  to  examine  the  high 
lauds  in  its  vicinity.  Mr.  E.  Williamson,  in  a  shori  paper  pre- 
sented to  tho  Manchester  Geological  Society,  and  ])ul>lished 
ill  the  Proceedings  of  that  society,  says,  that  "at  Caxinga,  a 
^1'^'  miles  out  from  Pernambuco,  several  fine  sections  of  the 
•ands  and  marls  "  of  the  tertiary  "  have  been  exposed  by 

*  Loc.  cit. 


\ 


4;u) 


GROLOGY   AND   I'lIYSICAL   GKOGRAl'IIY, 


liin(l-sli|)s  ;  llie  strata  Ihm'o  hoiir  sucli  a  rcscMnMaiico  to  I]|,' 
now  red  sjiiidf^loiio  of  our  own  districts,  that  it  WdiiM  !»■ 
iinpossihk;  hy  color  and  apjXiuraiice  alone  to  distin^iuisli 
oiKi   IVoiu   (lie  other.'" 

The  huiils  over  larn'O  areas  near  tlio  coast  arc  vcit  fer- 
tile, and  |irii(hice  excellent  siiuar-canc  and  cotton. 

All  the  drainaj;(;  of  the  middle  and  western  i)art  oftln' 
province  is  into  the  Sao  Francisco.  S(jnic  of  the  sti'cams 
arc  quite  lar<2;e  ;  hnt,  as  has  been  remarked  hy  Cazal,*  tlim 
disajijieai'  in  the  dry  season,  and  the  same  is  the  case  with  tli ' 
majority  of  the  rivers  of  the  eastern  part  of  the  provinc.'. 
"which  flow  into  the  sea..  Durinu,'  thi'  rains  the  sti>'anis.  lik^' 
those  of  IJahia,  swell  tremendously,  hut  in  diy  weather  tiny 
dry  up  entirely.  The  principal  rivers  emptying  into  tlic  sen 
arc  the  following  :  the  Uiui,  whose  mouth  is  a  Ihw  Icaiiiics 
north  of  the  l)oundarv  line  of  Alajinas  ;  between  this  rivur 
and  l'ernaml)uc()  are  the  Serenhaiun,  Ipojnca,  and  I'iia- 
pama.  The  CapiI)aril)C  empties  at  Pernamhnco.  The  Tiio. 
Ipojuea,  and  Capiharihe  are  quite  rcspcctal)Ic  rivers,  if  wf 
consider  (i  ic  length,  the  Ipojuea  having  a  course  of  iilHUit 
one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  ;  but  during  the  dry  season 
they  disa])pear,  except  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  scii.t 
so  that  tlu'y  arc  consequently  of  little  or  no  seivice  fdi*  unvi- 
gation.  The  climate,  of  course,  varies  in  diffci'ciil  pin't.->  nl' 
the  country.     Along  the  coast  it  is  dam])  and  hot,  tlioimh 

*  "Da  Villa  do  Pcrn'tlo  nth"'  a  da  Barra  do  Kio-Grando,  ein  cujo  iiinr- 
vallo  OS  viaiidaiitL's  contain  aciiiia  do  duzi'iitas  li'j:iias,  iiao  salic  ]i!ira  u  rio  'le 
S.  Francisco  um  so  rcgato  no  tempo  da  sccca."  Corografia  Brazilicii,  ^  nl.  II. 
p.  158. 

t  Dr.  McGratIi  of  Pcrnambuco  kindly  sent  me  a  tracinpj  of  a  mnpofthe 
eastern  part  of  tlic  province.  In  a  note  lie  says  :  "  Tiiese  rivers  look  very  for- 
midable on  paper,  bnt,  as  yon  arc  probably  well  aware,  they  amount  to  alinu.^t 
nothinir  above  tide-water  during  the  dry  season." 


PROVINCE   OF   PKnXAMr.UCO. 


431 


j;  into  tilt'  sea 


li-iizilicii,  \'o\.  II. 


refreshed  l»y  sea  bree/es  ( I'oiiipeo),  In  the  interior  it  is 
very  hot  juiil  veiy  (hy,  espeeiiilly  (hu'in^'  the  niiny  seiison, 
uiiith  lasts  from  March  to  June.  Von  Tsehndi  says  that 
it  is  not  so  opprcssingly  hot  at  IV-rnaniltuco  as  at  Rio.  The 
|i(i|iulation  of  the  i)rovinee  is  j)rin('ii)ally  eonlincd  to  the 
ta>tern  part  near  the  eoast,  and  to  the  border  of  the  Sao 
iVanciseo.  In  the  region  of  the  nialtas  there  arc  ninnerous 
aiul  well-condueted  sugar  estates,  which  jtrodncc,'  a  large 
(|iuniiity  of  sugar,  molasses,  and  rum.  I'onipi'o  says,  that  in 
IS.")?  the  i)resident  of  the  province  reported  1,10(1  sugar- 
mills,  lis  of  which  were  operated  by  steam  and  -'M*)  iiy  water. 
These  produced,  in  185G,  l8,41)8:0UU.sUU0  worth  of  sugar. 
and  the  same  year  1,^41,-3^4  canadas  of  aguarden'"  (native 
rum)  wei'e  exported,  worth  GU):0(JU<i!0<)0.  I'onipeo,  writ- 
iiiu  in  18()4,  places  the  exjjortation  of  sugar  at  over  fuin- 
millions  of  arrobas.  Von  Tsehndi,  in  l<SGt),  estimated  the 
yearly  export  at  over  one  hundred  and  forty  mil;  s  of 
liuunils.  The  cotton  of  Pcrnambuco  is  reckoned  very  good, 
anil,  according  to  Von  Tsclnidi,  it  brings  the  price  of  good 
Louisiana  cotton.  The  region  of  the  (Jaranhuns,  lying  Just 
iiorlli  of  the  middle  of  the  [)rovince  of  Alagoas,  is  notetl  for 
its  cotton.  Cazal  *  says  that  the  Serra  de  (Jaranhuns  is 
cuvorcd  by  woods,  and  that  streams  descend  from  it,  but 
nrc  soaked  nji  and  disappear  on  reaching  the  snudy  campos 
(if  the  vicinity.  This  region  produces  also  maize,  mandi- 
i»a.  feijao,  and  fruits  of  various  kinds. 

Among  the  fruits  for  which  this  j)rovincc  is  famous  arc 
llic  mango  and  the  delicious  giant  pine-aj)})le  known  as  the 
Aliacaxi.  Cocoa  palms  are  jdanted  in  large  groves  on  the 
toast,  and  i)roduce  a  vei^  considerable  revenue.  In  the 
•"^ortao  a  large  munber  of  cattle  are  raised.     Pompdo  esti- 

*  Cororjrnjia  lirazilim.  Vol.  II.  p.  159. 


432 


GEOLOGY   AND   I'lIYSlCAL    GKUGKArHY. 


iiiatod  llial  ill  1804  there  ouj-'lit  to  bo  1,:M:0,000  inhaliiuiiits; 
but  tlic'i'c  litis  Iiceii  no  ccusus  for  many  years.  Ahucida.  in 
his  Athis,  estimates  the  ])()piihition  of  the  province  ut 
1,2:20.000  souls,  of  Avhiuh  the  capital  has  90,000. 

Owing  to  the  flatness  of  the  eoast  and  the  small  si/r  nf 
the  rivers,  there  are  but  few  ports  eaj)al)le  of  ad  milt  mil: 
lai'ge  vessels.  We  find  in  use  on  this  coast,  priiieij)idly  lur 
the  pur])ose  of  fishing,  the  Jangada,  a  narroAV  raft  of  liulit 
logs,  eai'iying  a  large  triangular  sail,  —  a  craft  which  may 
be  launched  through  the  surf  (^n  the  o})cn  coast.  Of  tlicsc 
in  1804,  the  j)roviiice  possessed  between  seven  and  eidit 
hundred.  The  city  of  Pcrnaml)UCo,*  or  Recife,!  owes  its 
importance  to  its  consolidated  1)cach  or  stone  reef.  Exccjit 
for  this,  it  would  otTer  no  advantages  for  trade.  Its  ]i(isi- 
tion,  in  the  very  easternmost  jiart  of  the  empire,  makes  ilie 
port  exceedingly  convenient   of  access  ;    and   shijis   hMin 

*  Tlic  name  Pcrnambuco  is  derived  from  the  Tupi.  Schalzo  snvs  tliat  it 
means  imire  sbucato.  Cazal  {Curo.  Brnz.  II.  170)  makes  it  a  eurnijitinii  of 
raranfilniea,  wliicii  is  said  to  he  tiie  name  given  to  tlie  i)ort  iiy  ilic  Calutis 
wiio  iiiliiihited  the  ])lace.  Tlie  lioteiio  Grral,  cap.  16  (quoted  in  ilie  An  d' 
Vvnfier  /rx  Dales,  Vol.  XIII  p.  256),  says  that  the  name  was  given  JiciMuse 
the  reef  was  hroken  tlirongh  hy  the  sea:  "  wSe  diz  de  Pcrnamhneo,  jinr  mui 
pedra  jnnto  delle  estii  furada  do  mar,  e  qner  dizer,  ]\Iar  fiirada."  ])"()rhi:;iiy 
{/.'I /online  Anuricnni,  Tom.  II.  ji. '280)  makes  it  a  eorriii)tion  of  raraniinilni. 
The  Frencli  call  the  phiee  Fernambone  or  rernamhoiic,  and  tlie  Kiigli.-ii  um'I 
to  call  it  Femamhnco. 

t  The  name  lieeife  was  given  to  the  city  becansc  of  its  reef  The  rcrtu- 
guese  for  reef  is  rerifr,  wliieh  word  is  not  derived  from  tlie  Latin  rf.rijun,  ib  so 
many  authors  wotild  liave  it;  as,  for  instance,  Baiheus  (lUnim  j\fr  Ocltn- 
niinn,  Sic,  ]).  66),  who  says  :  "  Uhi  terininatur,  ])agus  fiiit,  Keeitfa  diet.i,  UiVi 
al)  hoe,  quod  intra  hune  et  alium  terne  siuiilein  tractum  oblongum  qiuiii  !'■  i  il- 
iam  Lapidosam  voeant  reccpi  naves  possint  et  soknint,  nceij)iendis  exiiDiieii- 
Jis([ue  onerilms."  The  authors  of  tlie  Art  de  Verifier  Irs  f)iil<s  (Vol.  .Mlh 
p.  .3.'1)  make  the  same  mistake.  The  word  rerifi'  is,  according  to  Foiisi'i'a, 
derived  from  the  Arabic  rarif  or  razlf,  signifying  a  pavement.  See  note  on  p- 
190. 


PROVINCE   OF   PKRNAMBUCO. 


433 


ilzo  snvs  tliai  it 


NoHli  America  or  Europe,  bound  for  South  American,  East 
Inilian,  or  African  ports,  have  to  go  but  very  httlc  out  of 
ilu'ii'  way  to  stop  there. 

I  have  ah-eady  called  attention  to  the  fact  that  the  city  is 
•situated  on  a  tract  of  low  ground,  occu))ying  a  (loc|)  indcn- 
tatiiiii  in  the  coast  tertiary  sheet,  and  extending  from  OHnda 
nearly  to  Cape  St.  AugustiiUio.*     It  is  l»uilt  at  the  mouths 
of  the  rivers  Bcberibc  and  Ca|)ibaril)e,  which  unite,  forming 
a  sort  of  delta,  composed  of  a  number  of  irregular  islands 
very  (lifTicult  to  describe,  which  are  enclosed  by  a  iiet-woik 
of  channels.      All  of  these  islands  arc  low,  and  some  ai'C 
marsliy.      The   Ueberibc  is    the    noi'thernmost  of  the  two 
rivers.     It  takes  its  rise  to  the  northwest  of  l\'rnaml)Ui'o  ; 
at  Olinda,  about  two  miles  north  of  Pernambuco,  it  meets  a 
very  narrow  stri})  of  sea  beach,  which  extends  southward  to 
I'cruambuco,  a  part  of  the  city  being  built  on  the  end  of 
tlie  spit,  v\  hich  broadens  in  the  manner  rc))re.scnted  in  the 
sketch-map  on  the  following  page.     A  channel  from  the  Rio 
Capiharibe  joins  the  Beberibe  just  above  its  mouth,  and  this 
cuts  otf  from  the  mainland  a  large  island,  on  which  a  second 
division  of  the  city  is  built,  while  the  third  quarter  is  situ- 
ated on  the  mainland,  on  the  opjjositc  side  of  the  Capibaribe, 
opliositc  its  mouth.     These  three  quarters  are  united  l»y 
liriilgcs,  several  of  which  arc  of  excellent  construction. 

Ti)  the  southward  a  bay  penetrates  deeply  into  the  land, 
but  its  waters  arc  very  shallow. 

That  part  of  the  city  built  on  the  extremity  of  the  sand 
ticaih  aliove  described  is  called  llecife,  though  foreigners 
ahuost  invariably  use  the  name  Pernambuco.  It  is  very 
cliisely  l»uilt  up  with  warehonses,  stores,  custom-house  build- 
ings, (tc,  and  is  the  centre  of  the  commerce.    On  the  beach 

*  Kidder  romparfs  this  tract  to  the  Baliian  "Rcconravo." 

^01.    I.  19  I!  I! 


434 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGUArtlY. 


just  to  the  north  are  the  celebrated  old  fortresses  of  Drum 
and  Buraco. 

0[)))0site  the  former,  and  distant  about  250  braivas  fioin 
the  shore,  the  stone  reef*  begins  abruj)tly,  and  runs  in  al- 


*  Tlie  reef  luis  1)een  described  over  and  over  again  by  tbe  oKl  navii:a!urj 
and  travellers  in  Brazil.  A  very  curious  drawinj^  of  it  is  to  be  fouiul  in  a  Duii  i 
work  published  in  1624,  and  entitled  lie/js-boeck  van  htt  n/i-Lr  Bmsilli)!.  I  li'i 
not  know  the  author's  niinie.  The  sketch  is,  however,  so  inaccurate  as  to  lie  ut 
no  value  as  showing-  tlie  structure  of  the  reef.  Barhvus  not  only  spoaks  of  tin' 
reef,  but  he  gives  a  large  copper-plate  engraving  of  it,  together  with  an  excel- 
lent map.  There  is  another  large  and  curious  copper-jjlate  of  IVTmnniiinn  an! 
the  reef  in  the  "  Ilistoria  delle  Gverre  del  regna  del  Brasilo,  dal  P.  F.  (ilo 
Gioseppe  di  Teresa  Carinelitano  Schnlzo,"  published  1698.  Speaking  of  the  ixvt, 
Schaizo  says  ;  "  Vien  reparato  dii  vn  come  inarauigioso  uiolo  iui  fonnato  ii:i!!a 
natura  il  quale  s'inalza  sopra  Pacrpie,  distendendosi  gran  quantity  di  li  glie  ta^li 
ato  dall'istessa  natura  con  tanta  egualta,  come  si  veggono  i  nioli  con  inniKii-i 
dispendij  fatti  dalPartc,"     Dapper  also  figures  it  in  his  Amo-im. 

This  reef  is  represented  in  Kidder's  "Brazil,"  and  in  Kidiicr  and  Flctclicr's 
"Brazil  and  the  Brazilians,"  as  if  it  were  two  or  three  miles  distant  from  the 
city  !  A  comparis(jn  between  the  views  of  Pernambuco  in  these  work^  with  .\ 
good  map  will  prove  amusing  !  What  is  the  use  of  stating  a  ihing  in  wonis. 
and  then  giving  the  lie  to  it  in  an  illustration  ? 


PROVINCE   OF   PERNAMBUCO. 


435 


3SCS  of  Driiiii 


most  a  straight  line  southward,  passing  within  a  few  hundred 
feet  of  the  eity,  extending  across  the  bay,  and  then  skii-ting 
the  shore  fur  sonic  distance  south.  I  have  hcen  alile  to  ex- 
ainine  it  oidy  in  the  vicinity  of  the  city,  and,  since  the  maps 
and  charts  differ  so  widely  among  themselves,  1  can  form  no 
(Iclinite  idea  of  its  real  length.  IJarhens  gives  a  map  and 
(hawing  of  a  similar  reef  extending  across  the  month  of  a 
hav  to  the  south  of  Pernambuco,  near  Cape  Saint  Augustine, 
if  1  remember  rightly. 

1  have  already  described  with  much  detail  the  stone  reefs 
or  consolidated  beaches  of  Porto  Seguro,  Santa  Cru/.,  and 
Uahia.  The  Pcrnambnean  reef,  so  far  as  1  have  see-.,  has 
precisely  the  same  structure.  It  is  the  consolidated  core 
of  an  ancient  beach  which  has  been  separated  from  the 
mainland  by  the  encroachment  of  the  sea.  It  is  remark- 
ahh;  for  its  great  length  and  the  straightness  of  its  conrse. 
It  is  exposed  to  a  much  heavier  surf  than  the  Porto  Seguro 
and  Santa  Cruz  reefs,  and  at  high  tide  and  during  heavy 
weadicr  it  is  usually  deluged  by  the  waves.  The  northern 
end  breaks  down  abruptly  as  at  Porto  Seguro,  and  forms  a 
wide  opcnhig  for  the  entrance  of  shipi)ing.  Near  this  ex- 
tremity stands  the  ancient  Dutch  fort,  known  as  llie  Picao, 
touctlier  with  a  lighthouse.  A  part  of  the  reef  is  artifi- 
cially built  up  ^\itll  masonry,  to  make  it  a  nioi'e  effici('nt 
breakwater.  Ships  of  ordinary  draught  and  small  steamers 
cuter  the  port,  but  the  larger  men-of-war  and  the  ocean 
steamers  usually  anchor  at  a  distance  off  the  reef. 

The  water  along  this  coast  is  very  shallow,  and  the  sound- 
iiijrs  continue  for  manv  miles  out  from  the  shore.  The  tides 
rise  at  Pernambuco  about  six  feet. 

Pcrnam])Uco  is  one  of  the  calling  stations  of  tlie  United 
.^tatcs,  English,  and  French   mail  steamers,   and   it  is  the 


4;;(i 


GKOLOUY    AND    PHYSICAL    GEOGRAl'HY. 


head-quarters  of  a  stcaml)oat  company  wliosc  boats  nin  tw 
various  j)oiuts  on  the  coast  to  the  nortli  and  south. 

The  reriuiiul)uco  and  Sao  Francisco  llaih'oad  is  in  aliout 
the  same  c(Mulitioii  as  the  Bahia  and  Sao  Francisco  iiin'. 
It  extends  southwestward  from  the  city  through  tlie  Iritlli' 
sugar  lands,  l)ut  it  is,  1  believe,  comideted  Ibr  a  distance  of 
only  about  eighty  or  ninety  miles,  the  present  terminus  IicIum 
Una  on  the  river  of  the  same  name.  I  owe  to  the  kindness 
of  Dr.  McGrath  of  Pernand»uco,  and  Mr.  Mann,  the  super- 
intendent of  the  road,  the  following  table  of  heiglits.  uloiiti' 
the  line  :  — 


Distances  in  Kilometres. 

Feet  iibovc  tlie  Sou 

Marca  9  no  Ar.scnal  do  Mariidia 

.      10.00 

Turntable  do  C.  Pontas 

IT.'iG 

2iV 

Pontc  do  Afogados 

.     27.1G 

8iV 

Esta(^\xo  do  Bua  Viagem 

3.-).  11 

Ponto  do  Jal)oatao .... 

.     2G.2.5 

Pontc  do  Pirapama     . 

29.12 

31tV 

Villa  do  Cabo         .... 

.     5G.00 

Centre  do  tunnel 

.       184.00 

Ponto  de  Utinga    .... 

.  210.00 

45 

Estacjiao  de  Olinda 

.       r  10.00 

51^ 

Pcdrciras  do  Timbo-assu 

.  373.00 

57^ 

Esta(^ao  de  Escada 

.       314.50 

70 

"         "  Froxeiras 

.  404.00 

Contcndas          .... 

.       413.00 

Pontc  de  Amaragi 

.  29G  18 

Plana         ..... 

.      387.30 

113A 

E.-ita^lo  d'Agoa  Preta 

.  4G3.00 

Poutc  de  Formiguoiro 

.       418.9G 

Excava(j"ao  no  Sitio  Gomes 

.  505.9G 

124,^, 

Esta(;ao  Una       .... 

.       437.9n 

About  thirty  miles  north  of  Pcrnambuco  is  the  large  and 


PROVIXCK    OF   rERNAMBUCO. 


40. 


<-»( 


honts  run  u, 

lih. 

i'S  ill  aliiiut 

uicisco   liiir. 

:h  the  I'ci'til,. 

'  distance  of 

minus  liciui:' 

lie  kindness 

1,  the  siijd'i'- 

iglits,  along 

t  !il)ove  tliu  Sea. 

10.00 

17.!J(; 

27.10 

3.-).  1 1 

20. 2.5 

29.12 

50.00 

184.00 

210.00 

no.  00 

373.00 

3U..')0 

40t.00 

413.00 

290  18 

387.30 

^03.00 

118.90 

)O.'5.90 

t37.9fi 

fertile  island  of  Itaniaraca,  wliieh  is  separated  from  the 
maiidaiid  by  a  narrow  Ijut  deej)  channel  like  a  river,  the 
island  being  set  into  the  mainland,  and  not  lying  off  the 
coast  as  it  is  usually  represented  on  mai)s.  It  is  about  ten 
or  twelve  miles  long  from  north  to  south,  and  very  narrow. 
The  land  is  low,  and  it  is  intere.sting  geologieally  on  aeeount 
(if  its  limestones,  which  contain  fossils,  and  apparently  be- 
long to  the  cretaceous,  if  one  may  judge  from  a  report  made 
to  the  Brazilian  government  by  the  engineer  Paulo  Jose  do 
Olivoira,  Avho  was  sent  to  examine  the  island  for  coal,  which 
had  been  reported  to  exist  there.  Oliveira  speaks  of  a  bed 
of  chalky  limestone,"  containing  some  fjssils  of  the  turUUe 
and  carditns  family,"  and  also  of  other  fossils  of  the  "  aiuui- 
chiics  family,"  found  at  Porto  das  Caixas. 

Dr.  McGrath  of  Pcrnambuco  has  kindly  undertaken  to 
have  a  collection  made  from  these  limestones,  and  I  \\c>\)G 
that  we  may  soon  have  their  age  satisfactorily  determined. 
Linic  is  manufactured  on  Itaniaraca  from  these  rocks,  and 
also  from  corals  which  aliound  in  the  vicinity.*  Oliveira 
reports  the  existence  of  iron  ore  on  the  island.  A  small 
^;uantity  of  salt  is  made  on  the  coast  from  sea-water.  The 
island  is  very  fertile,  and  is  covered  with  sugar  plantations 
and  cocoa-palm  groves.  The  eastern  side  is  thickly  jdanted 
from  one  end  to  the  other  with  these  beautiful  and  useful 


trees. 


Fernando  de  Xoroidia  belongs  to  the  jirovince  of  Pernam- 
hiieo,  though  it  is  situated  to  the  north  of  Cajic  Sao  Roque. 
It  lies  in  lat.  3°  55'  8.  and  long.  32°  40'  W.  of  Greenwich 
and  is  distant  from  the  coast  about  two  hundred  miles.  It 
consists  of  one  large  island  and  several  smaller  ones,  the 
whole  being,  according  to  Darwin,  nine  miles  long  and  tiiree 

*  Sec  Kidder's  Brazil,  Vol.  II.  p.  172. 


438 


GEOLOGY   AND   niYSICAL    GEOGRAPHY. 


in  breadth.  This  distinguislicd  observer  visited  it,  ami  I 
cannot  do  i)etter  tlian  to  o-.iote  lus  own  description  of  tlic 
geological  structure  of  the  island  :  — 


IbLA^D    Ol''   I'liliNAMJO    I)E    NUUUMIA.^ 


**  The  whole  seems  to  be  of  volcanic  origin,  nlthougli  there  is  no 
appearance  of  any  crater  or  of  any  one  central  eminence.  Tiic  iiin>i 
remarkable  feature  is  a  hill  one  thousand  feet  high,  of  wliiih  tin' 
upper  four  hundred  feet  consist  of  a  precipitous,  singulaily  slmiinl 
pinnacle  formed  of  colunmar  })honolite,  containing  numerous  crys- 
tals of  glassy  feldspar  and  a  few  needles  of  hornblende.  Fnn.i 
the  highest  accessible  point  of  this  hill  I  could  distingiiisli  in 
dillerent  parts  of  the  group  several  other  conical  hills,  a|)parciilly 
of  the  same  nature.  At  St.  Helena  there  are  similar  great  (.•uiuluI 
protuberant  masses  of  phonolite  nearly  one  thousand  feet  in  lioight, 
which  have  been  formed  by  the  injection  of  fluid  feldspatliic  lava 
into  yielding  strata.  If  this  hill  has  had,  as  is  probable,  a  similar 
origin,  denudation  has  been  here  effected  on  an  enonnous  scale. 
Near  the  base  of  this  hill  I  observed  beds  of  white  tuff,  intersected 
by  numerous  dikes,  some  of  them  amygdaloidal  basalt  and  otlieis 
of  trachyte  ;  and  beds  of  slaty  phonolite,  with  the  ])lanes  of  eleavip' 
directed  northwest  and  southeast.  Part  of  this  rock,  where  th" 
crystals  were  scanty,  closely  resembled  common  clay  slates  altered 
by  the  contact  of  a  trap  dike.  The  laniimc  of  rocks,  wliitdi  un- 
doubtedly have  once  been  fluid,  seems  to  me  to  be  a  subject  wefl 
deserving  of  attention.  On  the  beach  there  were  numerous  frag- 
ments of  compact  l)asalt,  of  which  rock  a  distant  faij'ade  of  coliuuns 
seems  to  be  formed."  f 

*  Tliis  sketch  I  copy  from  Ulloa.     The  water) inc  has  been  inadvertently 
omitted, 
t  Geological  Observations,  Part  II.  pp.  23,  24. 


■"^'•'tWH^i-.E 


PROVIN'CE   OF   PKRNAMBUCO. 


430 


The  island  is  almost  deprived  of  vegetation,  resulting 
IVoni  the  dryness  of  the  elinmte,  and  UUou*  tells  us  that 
sometimes  two  or  three  years  pass  without  rain.  On  this 
hai'ren  roek  the  Brazilian  government  has  estalAislied  a 
jieiial  station.  Floeks  of  sea-hirds  resort  to  the  island  to 
hicL-d,  and  sea-turtles  in  great  numljers  hiy  in  the  san.ls  of 
the  shore  during  certain  months.  The  harbor  is  an  oi)en 
roiulstead.  If  the  rei^rts  of  navigators  are  correct  the 
inland  is  surrounded  by  coral  reefs. 

*  "  La  csterilidad  (le  esta  Islii  no  proccdf  de  la  mala  calidad  <lc  su  Tierra, 
pucs  produce  todo  (luauto  su  sionibra  en  ella  proprio  do  PaVes  calidus,  sino  de 
la  falta  de  huniedad ;  ponpie  passaii  dos,  y  tres  afios  sin  Hover,  ni  verse  el  mas 
kve  apurato  de  A-ua ;  y  su  escasez  es  causa  de  que  se  se(iuen  totalmeute  to.las 
las  plantas,  taltando  la  Agua  a  los  Arroyos,  y  lo  mas  pinguc  de  toda  la  Isla 
qinuido  las  Nubcsno  la  feeundizan  con  su  rie-o,  sc  vuelvc  tan  lirido,  y  desapaci- 
ble,  wnio  los  Peuones,  y  Uoeas  ;  eu  la  casion,  que  llegamos,  se  liavian  passudo 
(los  anos  siueaerA^'ua  alguna." -- Ulloa,  Rdaciun  Ilistorica  del  Via(je,&.c., 
Parte  IL,  Tomo  Quarto,  p.  416. 


sen  inadvertently 


4-iO 


GEOLOGY  AND  PHYSICAL  GEOGRAPHY. 


CHATTER   XI. 


THE   PnOVIXCE   OF   PAKAIIYBA   DO  NORTE. 

Limits  of  tlie  Province.  —  The  Serra  or  Plateau  of  the  Cairiris  Velhos.— The 
Climate,  Proiliietions,  &e.,  of  the  Pruviiicc.  — P'ertile  Laiuls  foiiiul  uiilv  aloii- 
the  Coast. — The  Kio  Parahyha  do  Norte,  its  Navi^'ahility.  —  The  City  m 
Paraliyba,  — The  Consolidated  Beach  at  the  Mouth  of  the  Hiver.  —  Tlic  Uivir 
and  Town  of  Mamaiiyuajie.  —  The  Geolo^'v  of  tiie  ^'icinity  of  Puraiiylia. 
—  Cretaceous  Limestone  with  Possils.  —  Observations  of  Professor  A;:a>>iz 
and  Mr.  Williams.  —  Mr.  Williams's  01).servations  on  the  (jleolu;.''y  of  tlie 
Country  between  Paraliyba  and  the  Gold-Mines  of  Pianco.  —  Mode  (if 
Occurrence  of  the  Gold.  —  "  The  Tasso  Brazilian  Gold-Mining  Coinjiimy 
(Limited)." 

The  Province  of  Paraliyba  :lo  Norte  lies  to  the  north  of 
that  of  Pernanihnco,  from  wliich  it  i.s  separated  by  tlio  Sorra 
dos  Cairiris  Vclhos,  wliich  seems  to  be  the  continuation  ea.st- 
ward  of  the  Serra  Araripe.  As  laid  down  on  the  maps,  (lie 
serra  is  noteworthy  for  its  west-east  trend,  though  it  pre- 
sents a  gentle  curve  to  the  southward.  This  is  in  diicit 
contrast  with  that  of  the  other  serras  on  the  coast,  which 
usually  have  a  more  or  less  northeast  direction. 

The  jiriiicijial  mountain  ranges  crossing  the  province,  as 
the  Borborcma  and  Teixeira,  have  a  direction  consideiably 
to  the  cast  of  north.  These  are  comjiosed  of  gneiss.  This 
abnormal  trend  attril)uted  to  the  Cairiris  Yelhos  would  he 
sufficient  to  lead  one  to  suspect  that  the  so-called  serra  he- 
longed  to  the  same  class  as  the  Araripe  and  the  "serras" 
dividing  the  SSo  Francisco  and  Tocantins  basins,  and  the 
suspicion  is  confirmed  by  Poni{)eo,  who  says  that  the  Serra 


PROVIN'CK   OK   TARAHYBA   DO   NORTE. 


441 


■norl)orcma  forms  in  tlic  south  an  extensive  plateau.  So  tliat 
it  is  more  than  probable  that  the  Cairin's  Vellios  are  Mny 
erntiieously  laid  down  on  tlie  nia])s,  and  do  not  Ibrni  a  iiar- 
iTiw  mountain  ehain,  as  represented. 

The  ])rovinoc  forms  a  regular  oblonii;  al)Out  one  lumdrcd 
anil  ciglitecn*  miles  in  leng'th  from  east  to  west,  and  about 
ninety  miles  from  north  to  south.  The  inteiior.  as  in  IVr- 
nauibueo,  is  uneven,  and  there  arc  some  eonsidci'abh'  serras. 
The  climate  is  very  dry.  The  eountry  is  very  poorly  watered, 
and  is  eonse(iuently  covered  with  a  very  scanly  veizctation,  so 
that  it  is  fit  only  for  })asturage.  Pompeo  snys  that  the  eaftlo 
sulisist  largely  on  the  macamhira,  a  brouioliaceous  j)lant, 
wliieh  not  only  furnishes  food,  hut  is  suHlciently  juiey  to 
iiuench  their  thirst.  The  coast  is  low,  and  much  of  it  is 
very  sandy. f  As  in  Pernambuco,  there  are  some  fertile 
lands  along  the  coast  admitting  of  cultivation,  and  they 
arc  in  ])art  covered  by  forest.  The^c  lands  i)roduce  cotton, 
sujrar,  J  toliacco,  <tc. 

The  climate  of  this  province  is  hot,  but  on  the  coast  the 
heat  is  modified  by  the  breezes  from  the  sea.  It  is  very  dry, 
and  from  time  to  time  severe  droughts  ])rcvail,  co.using  nuich 
distress.    The  province  is  reputed  healthy  for  Brazilians. 

The  ])rineii)al  river  of  the  province  is  the  I'arahyba  do 
Norte,  which  takes  its  rise  in  the  Serra  dc  Borborema,  near 
the  southern  border  of  the  province,  and,  skirting  the  prov- 
ince line,  flows  cast  a  few  degrees  north  to  the  sea. 

At  its  mouth  the  Parahvba  forms  a  sort  of  estuarv,  which 


*  Pompeo  says  one  hundred  and  ten  leagues,  wliich  is  very  far  from  being 
correct. 

+  Sec  Roster's  Travels. 

t  I'oiniioo  says  that  in  1864  there  wore  one  hundred  and  sixty  sugar  factories 
in  tlie  province. 

19* 


442 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


is  quite  wide,  and  opens  into  the  sea  from  the  south,  as  do 
many  of  the  other  rivers  along-  this  part  of  the  coast. 

Tlie  Pai'ahyha  is  navigal)le  for  Uirge  vessels  up  to  the  city 
of  the  same  name,  the  capital  of  the  province,  a  distance  (if 
three  leagues  above  the  mouth  (Pompdo).*  Small  vessels 
ascend  about  the  same  distance  al)ove  the  city,  and  ciuioes 
are  said  to  go  as  far  as  I*ilar,  many  leagues  farther,  but  the 
influence  of  the  tide,  according  to  Pompdo,  is  felt  oidy  si\ 
leagues  above  the  river  mouth. 

The  city  of  Pai-ahyba  is  situated  on  the  right  l)ank  of  tlie 
river,  and  is  divided  into  an  upper  and  lower  t(,\vn.  h 
numbers,  according  to  Almeida,  14,000  inhal)itaiils.t  lis 
exports  arc  principally  cotton  and  sugar,  which  are  scut  fe 
Pernambuco.  Pompeo  says  that  during  the  year  lS(!2-i'i:! 
there  were  exported  201,800  arrobas  of  cotton,  worth 
?5,021:1248800,and  020,270  of  cotton,  worth  821:120sO()(). 

riarlicus  X  gives  a  chart  of  the  mouth  of  the  Parnhyliti 
Iiiver,  of  which  1  give  on  the  o]»positc  page  a  reduced  e(i|iy. 
It  is  interesting  because  it  shows  a  stone  reef  exteiidiim' 
across  its  mouth,  leaving  an  entrance  between  it  iind  tin' 
point  on  the  southern  side  of  the  river.  The  reef  begins  ol'f 
tlie  point  on  which  stands  the  old  fort  Cabedcllo,  and  runs 
parallel  with  the  shore  in  a  southwest  direction  for  some 
distance.  At  its  southern  extremity  it  is,  accortling  to 
narhens's  chart,  triple,  two  short  reefs  lying  insitle  of  it. 

I  introduce,  for  comparison  with  Barlieus,  a  coj)y  of  part  of 
a  map  of  the  mouth  of  the  same  river  by  Almeida,  which 
ought  to  1)0  more  accurate,  though  it  does  not  represent  the 
reef  with  so  much  care. 

*  Jiulnjing  from  Mrs.  Agassiz's  description  of  the  Professor's  visit  to  Parahvba, 
tlic  steamer  was  iinahle  to  po  up  as  far  as  the  town. 

t  Tlie  population  of  the  province  is  about  300,000  (Almeida). 
}  liertim  per  Octennium  in  Brasilia,  &c.,  1647. 


PROVLNCK   OF   rAItAIIYBA  DO   NOIME. 


443 


'^''•«Z'«m7/y<5^r?.a7^^:^ 


SiaUAjilonio. 


^ 


isit  to  Parahvbil, 


Al)Out  oiji'htocn  miles  north  of  the  mouth  of  tlic  Paraliyba 
is  the  mouth  of  the  Mamanguajje,  a  much  smaller  stream 
than  the  Parahyba.  It  is  said  to  admit  of  na vibration  for 
smacks  as  far  as  the  important  town  of  Mamau^juape,  which 
lies  about  four  leagues  from  the  sea.  According-  to  the 
Diccionario  Gcograpfiico  there  is  a  st(uie  reef  at  the  moulh 
i»f  the  river,  and  Almeida  represents  a  line  of  reefs  as  run- 
uinu'  along  part  of  the  coast.  Cotton  is  one  of  the  chief 
rxpoits  of  the  district  of  ^[amangua])C. 

or  the  geology  of  the  province  of  Parahyba  we  know  very 
littl(>,  except  what  is  to  be  found  in  a  short  paper  l)y  Mr.  E. 
Williamson,*  from  which  I  condense  the  following:  — 

"  From  Tambalic  (Tambahii  1)  to  Parahyba  the  surface  is 
covered  by  thick  beds  of  ferruginous  conglomerate In  some 

*  On  the  Geology  of  tlic  Paraliyba  and  Pcrnainlmro  Gold  Rcfrions,  by  E. 
Williiunsori,  Proccedinfrs  of  Manclie?tcr  Geological  Society.  This  paiii|)li- 
Ict,  which  I  owe  to  the  kindness  of  Professor  Bonainy  Price,  of  Oxford,  bears 

no  (late. 


444 


CKOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GKOGHAI'IIY. 


places  the  conglomerate  becomes  so  very  coarse  tint  it  is  wliolly 
made  up  of  water-worn  pebbles,  of  quartz,  gneiss,  and  tlio  hurdor 
schistose  rocks,  cemented  together  liy  peroxide  of  iron.  The  «izu 
of  the  pebbles  varies  from  that  of  a  small  nut  to  bonlders  weighing 
fom-  or  five  pounds.  This  class  is  well  repi'cscnted  bcl(\v  ^ho 
baths  at  Tambalic ;  but  as  they  approach  the  river  towai'ds 
Parahyba  they  gradually  become  mixed  with  finer  and  more  argil- 


PROVINCE      OF   PARAIIYDA   DO   XOUTE. 


445 


Iiicpons  beds,  until,  at  last,  at  Sta.  Ilita,  a  tow  miles  nut  from 
rmahyba,  they  Imve  bocomo  divided  into  reiT'dar  l)ands  of  marls, 
siiiids,  and  ei)ni,domorates."  Tlicse  deposits  are  prolnibly  tertiary. 
"  Inimediat(!ly  underlyin;,'  the  fenMiifinous  eoiij^lomerates  of  Para- 
hylia  there  occur  beds  of  secondary  limestone,  haviuL,'  a  strike 
marly  north  nnd  south,  and  dippin;;  gently  to  the  east.  For  the 
most  part  the'so  limestones  are  siliceous,  though  at  intervals  beds 
nf  nearly  pure  limestone  and  argillaceous  bands  occur." 

.Ml'.  "Williamson  stiitos  tliat  he  found  a  ca't  of  a  fish  toofli 
mid  sonio  cstlierians  iu  this  limcstono,  ainl  that  simihir  liods 
iiliouiidin,t^  in  fish  remains  oi^cnr  at  Miiias  da  ''acliocira. 
I'ldfcssor  Aj^assiz  touched  at  Paraliyba  on  his  i-ctuin  IVoni 
till'  Aiua/onas  and  visited  e.xposures  of  these  roeks  iu  the 
vicinity.  II(!  fomid  the  limestone  of  a  soft  texture,  of  a 
white  or  gray  color,  and  destitute  of  rei'()g'ni/,able  I'ossils. 
From  the  green  shales  he  obtained  species  of  cstlicriaiis 
which  appear  to  be  identical  with  some  occurring  in  the 
jiahian  beds.  This  latter  observation  is  of  nnieh  inter(  st, 
since  it  would  a|)pear  to  indicate  the  existence,  on  this  part 
of  the  coast,  of  fresh-water  deposits  like  those  at  Bahia. 

Mr.  William.son's  description  of  the  gneissoid  rocks  and 
of  the  gold  deposits  I  give  in  full,  as  it  is  the  only  clear 
account  of  the  way  in  which  gold  occurs  in  this  kind  of  rucks 
in  IJrazil :  — 


"  Tiic  first  clear  outcrop  of  the  rocks,  from  Parahyba,  occurs  at 
l!atiill>a  on  the  river  Parahyba  ;  it  is  a  hornltlendic  rock,  with 
nuiiici-ous  small  bands  of  (juartz  and  feldspar  much  contorted. 

■■  between  the  river  Pai'ahyba  and  Pilar  a  very  coarse  gneiss 
■jtciirs,  with  large  crystals  of  white  feldspar  and  black  mica  ;  at 
I'iliir  the  gneiss  is  interstratitied  with  mica  schists,  generally  fine 
iu  texture ;  at  Mendon^a,  Mochcira,  and  Ingii  Velho  beds  of  similar 
cluiractcr  again  occur,  interstratified  with  gneiss ;  at  the  last-named 


44G 


GEOLOGY  AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


place  the  schistose  beds  become  more  frequent,  until  at  Ingii  the 
whole  of  the  beds  are  micaceous  and  hornblendic  schists.  A  littl' 
past  Inira  a  hard  close-grained  gneiss  rock  appears  ;  this  flanks  tin- 
mountains  of  Lagradoura,  which  chiefly  consist  of  a  white  por- 
j)hyr()id  gneiss,  holding  large  cleavablc  crystals  of  pure  orthockse, 
interstratified  with  bauds  of  syenitic  and  granitoid  gneiss,  much 
reseml)ling  granite.  On  the  noi'thern  flank  the  hard  close-graiuod 
gneiss  rocks  again  occur. 

"Between  Lagradonra  and  Campinas  a  well-marked  b;ui<l  — 
gi-anitoid  porphyry  —  occurs,  standing  out  some  fifty  and  out.' 
hundred  feet  highei-  than  the  softer  rocks  which  suiTound  tluMii , 
this  porphyry  contains  large  crystals  of  white  orthoclase.  At 
Campinas  a  series  of  micaceous  beds  occur,  containing  plates  of 
mica.  The  largest  was  about  two  inches  in  diameter  ;  but  1  wu.-, 
told  that  plates  a  foot  square  had  been  found  ;  following  this  I'un 
of  micaceous  schist  is  a  band  of  porphyry,  in  which  large  clciuahli 
crystals  of  white  orthoclase  are  embedded  in  a  granular  matrix  df 
quartz  and  feldspar.  I  could  distinguish  no  true  bedding  Hues  in 
this  band,  but  from  its  dip  and  strike,  an  unbroken  outcrop,  I  uiu 
inclined  to  think  that  it  might  be  interbedded  ;  the  succeodin.; 
rocks  are  mica-schists,  and  gneiss. 

"  At  «  aximba  Nova  another  band  of  hard  gi-anitnid  rock  occurs : 
following  this  there  are  a  long  series  of  mica  schists  and  gneiss : 
near  to  Caracol  occurs  a  series  of  black  schists,  alternating  with 
bands  of  gi'atuilar  black  rock  ;  the  schists  are  occasionally  niii';i 
ceous.  At  Caracol  a  small  series  of  mica  schists  divide  two  l)iv)ibi 
bands  of  granitoid  rock,  in  places  these  much  rescml)le  the  true 
granites  ;  overlying  the  upper  one  is  a  small  band  of  hornblondic 
schist,  this  is  followed  by  a  long  series  of  flaggy  mica  schists.  At 
Carnahubi',  these  are  succeeded  by  bands  of  hard,  close-giMinod 
gneiss  ;  this  flanks  the  mountains  of  Teixeira  (rocks  similar  in 
character  occur  at  Queimada  on  the  opposite  flanks) ;  the  rocks  ot 
the  Teixeira  mountains  bear  such  a  strong  resemblance  to  those  ot 
Lagradoura,  that  I  think  they  may  be  but  a  repetition  of  the  same 


PROVINCE   OF  PARAIIYBA   DO  NORTE. 


447 


beds.  Between  Queimada  and  the  Minas  da  Caxoeira,  another 
broad  scries  of  the  same  elass  occurs  ;  the  roraainder  of  the  rocks 
oil  the  section  arc  gneiss,  alternating  with  bands  of  mica 
schists. 

"  At  various  places  on  the  section  beds  of  quartz  and  quartzite, 
with  plates  of  mica,  were  interstratified  with  the  harder  rocks  ;  the 
lieds  varied  from  a  few  feet  to  two  hundred  feet  in  thickness  ;  the 
smaller  bands  were  often  beautifully  opalescent,  the  larger  bands 
p-aiiular  or  amorphous.  H.nomatitic  and  titanic  iron  ores  always 
occompany  them. 

"  On  my  journey  from  Parahyba  to  the  mines  I  failed  to  detect 
any  beds  of  limestone  interstratified  with  the  Laurentian  rocks,  l)ut 
I  was  informed  tliat  limestone  interstratified  with  the  rocks  hail 
liceu  oliserved  in  other  places  where  the  limestones  had  not  been 
liiddon  by  the  covering  of  ferruginous  detritus. 

"The  rocks  at  the  Minas  da  Caxoeira,  and  the  position  of  the 
gold-hearing  veins,  will  be  best  understood  on  reference  to  the 
accompanying  section,  taken  along  the  bed  of  the  Bruscus  Iiivc". 
for  a  length  of  about  six  miles.* 

"At  the  southern  extremity,  divided  by  a  band  of  softer  rock, 
arc  two  broad  and  well-marked  bands  of  syenitic  gneiss,  one  of 
which  forms  the  bed  of  the  1)eautiful  waterfalls  of  the  Bruscus  ; 
luulcrlying  these  is  a  series  of  schistose  gneiss,  and  a  narnuv  band 
of  syenite  ;  it  is  a  bluish-gray  crystalline  rock,  and  bears  a  strong 
resemblance  to  some  of  tha  Welsh  upper  Cambrian  feldspar  rocks. 
Succeeding  these  are  the  gold-bearing  series,  which  almost  wholly 
consist  of  fiut-grained  micaceous  gneiss,  passing  imperceptildy 
into  mica  schists. 

"Crossing  a  bend  of  the  river  a  little  before  reaching  the  Lima 
lode,  a  small  band  of  dark  brownish-gray  feldspar  rock  occurs ;  it 
is  snbtranslucent,  and  in  places  shows  chatoyant  colors ;  a  little 
farther  on  is  a  band  of  white  crystalline  limestone,  containing 
hexagonal  crystals  of  biotite  ;  in  the  bed  of  the  river  it  is  small, 

*  This  section  is  omitted. 


448 


GEOLOGY  AND  PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


but  al)out  a  mile  forther  cost  from  this  point,  at  a  place  calkil 
Piao,  it  is  said  to  1)g  a  mile  broad  on  the  outcrop. 

"  A  little  east  from  where  the  Descubridora  lode  crosses  the 
stream  there  occur  a  few  beds  of  eai-thy  plumbaginous  schists,  in 
which  are  two  lenticular  veins  of  graphite  ;  they  seem  to  he  nf 
small  extent  and  of  a  very  indifferent  quality. 

"  At  Cacimbinhas,  a  few  miles  farther  on  than  the  Boa  Esperaiira 
lode,  another  broad  and  w-ell-marked  band  of  syenitic  gneiss  occurs, 
quite  as  Imge  as  that  of  the  waterfolls. 

"  The  auriferous  veins  which  traverse  these  rocks  are  very  nu- 
merous; they  appear  as  irregular  lenticular  masses,  running  iKU-alkl 
to  the  strike,  often  dijjping  between,  but  rarely  cutting  throuu'l), 
the  beds.  The  matrix  of  the  lodes  is  a  coarse  white  scmi-opjuiuo 
quartz,  containing  small  quantities  of  the  arsenides  and  sulphides 
of  iron,  sulphides  of  copper,  lead  and  zinc ;  most  of  tlie  ualeuas 
contain  antimony.  The  variety  of  minerals  resulting  fi-iuu  the 
decomposition  of  these  ores  are  very  numerous,  —  carbonate  of 
zinc,  carbonate  and  chloro-phosphate  of  lead,  phosphate,  arscniato 
and  carbonate  of  copper,  oxides  of  antimony  and  native  suli>hur 
are  common  in  some  of  the  lodes  ;  sulphate  of  copper,  sul[)liate 
and  chromatc  of  lead  were  more  rare  ;  native  gold  was  spaiinirly 
scattered  throughout  nearly  all  the  lodes,  and  in  the  Boa  Espcrauca 
veins,  grains  of  platinum  wore  found. 

*'  The  run  of  rocks  in  the  valley  of  the  Bruscus  are  very  aurifer 
ous,  and  quartz  veins  abundant ;  and  though  the  rocks  arc  gi'catly 
contorted,  no  trace  of  a  true  fault  can  be  found  anywhere  in  the 
whole  district ;  this  singularity  appears  to  belong  to  all  the  alteieil 
rocks  which  I  examined  in  Parahyba  and  Pernambuco,  for  during 
a  ride  of  1,000  miles  I  ftiiled  to  detect  any  ;  it  is  to  this  want  of 
true  fractures  that  I  ascribe  the  poorness  of  the  quartz  veins,  there 
being  nothing  favorable  to  the  concentration  of  the  ores  ;  the  iS"\'l 
has  been  equally  distributed  throughout  all  the  veins.  It  is  well 
known  to  miners  that  no  veins  are  so  rich  as  tliose  in  which  the 
faces  of  dissimilar  rocks  are  brought  opposite  each  other  on  the 
walls  of  the  vein. 


PROVINCE  OF  PARAHYBA  DO  NORTE. 


449 


"On  my  journey  from  the  mines  to  Pernamlnico  I  crossed  the 
siiiiic  run  of  rocks  as  those  marked  on  the  section,  and  dui'ing  my 
ride  was  able  to  trace  several  anteclinals  ;  this  accounts  for  tho 
vast  extent  of  country  covered  by  rocks  of  the  same  ago. 

"  About  seventy  leagues  from  Pernambuco  I  found  a  band  of 
quartziferous  porphj-ry ;  a  s[)ecimen  is  exliibited  ;  it  has  a  compact 
liaso,  composed  of  an  intimate  mixture  of  ([uartz  and  feldspar, 
eiuldsing  crystals  of  orthoclase  and  grains  of  (piartz. 

"  Near  to  Jerimu  there  occur,  within  a  few  leagues  of  each  other, 
two  bands  of  crystalline  limestone  ;  one  a  narrow  and  highly 
crvstalline  band,  the  other  a  very  broad  band  :  in  stjme  [)arts  this 
is  micaceous,  but  none  of  the  beds  are  so  highly  crystalline  as  the 
small  band. 

"  The  country  between  Jerimu  and  Pernambuco  bears  a  strong 
rcseiiiblancc  in  character  to  those  marked  on  the  section  betweeu 
Parahyba  and  Campinas. 

'•  The  whole  series  of  these  rocks  ago-eo  in  every  respect  with  the 
characteristic  features  of  the  Canadian  Laurentian  rocks,  as  given 
liv  Sir  W.  E.  Loixan,  viz.  :  — 

"  I.  The  total  absence  of  anything  like  argillite  or  clay  slate. 

"  II.  That  nothing  corresponding  to  slaty  cleavage  has  ever  been 
remarked. 

'•  III.  That  the  lamination  of  these  masses  is  apparently  in  every 
case  coincident  with,  and  dependent  upon,  the  original  stratification 
of  the  sedimentary  layers." 

There  was  formed  in  18G5  an  Eiiglisli  company  under 
the  name  of  the  "  Tasso  Brazilian  Gokl-^[ining  Company 
(limited),"  to  work  the  mines,  not  only  of  Paraliyha,  i)nt  also 
of  Pernambuco.  Among  the  officers  of  this  company  ap- 
pear some  very  honorable  names.  I  am  entirely  uninformed 
as  to  what  this  association  has  done,  or  what  its  prospects 
are. 

Sr.  Jose  Jacomo  Tasso,  in  an  official  report  made  to  the 

CO 


K 


450 


GEOLOGY  AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


government  not  long  since,  said  that  seven  distinct  auriier- 
ous  veins  had  been  discovered,  but  washing  was  carried  on 
with  great  difficulty,  because  water  was  scarce,  and  had  to 
be  brought  from  a  distance  of  some  two  or  three  miles. 


PROVLNCE   OF   lilO  GRANDE   DO   NORTE. 


451 


CII.VPTER   XII. 

THE  PROVINCE  OF  RIO  (;RANDE  do  NORTE. 

Limits  of  the  Province,  its  Position,  Mountain  and  lliver  Systems,  &c.  —  The 
Rio  Piranhas.  —  Vegetation.  —  Productions.  —  Tlie  Carnaiiuha  Palm  and  its 
I's^.s.  —  Cochineal.  —  Cattle.  —  Climate.  —  Natal.  —  Geology  of  the  Prov- 
ince. 

This  province  occupies  the  extreme  nortliea^teru  part  of 
l]r;r/.il,  and  forms  an  irregular  quadrilateral  al)out  one  hun- 
(licd  and  eighteen  miles  in  greatest  length  from  east  to 
west,  and  Ijetwecn  eighty  and  ninety  miles  in  width  from 
south  to  north.  From  Ceara  it  is  separated  hy  the  so-called 
serra  or  plateau  of  Appodi.  Two  water-sheds  running 
north-south  divide  the  })rovince  into  three  aluK^st  equal 
parts.  The  eastern  of  these  water-sheds  is  formed  by  a 
continuation  of  the  Serra  Borl)orema  or  the  Cairiris  Xovos, 
east  of  which  a  number  of  little  rivers  run  eastward  to  the 
.sea;  these  rivers  being  of  the  same  character  as  those 
of  Pernambuco  and  Bahia,  disappear  in  the  dry  season. 
Pompco  says  that  the  Ceara-merim  and  Trahiry  are  per- 
ennial. None  of  these  rivers  are  navigable  for  more  than 
u  few  miles  above  their  mouths. 

Tlie  Rio  Piranhas,  which  originates  in  the  province  of 
Paiahyba,  passes  through  the  middle  third  of  the  province 
of  Rio  Grande  do  Norte  with  a  course  almost  due  north, 
emptying  into  the  sea  by  several  mouths,  forming  a  con- 
sidcral)le  delta.      This  river  is  sufficiently  large  to  allow 

small  vessels  to  ascend  al)Out  seven  leagues  to  the  town  of 


4r,2 


GKOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY, 


Assii,  an  important  place,  noted  for  its  cattle,  its  salines. 
and  connnerce  in  salt.  'J'lic  Piranhas  takes  its  name  lion. 
the  lisli  oi' tlie  same  name,  whieli  abounds  in  its  waters. 

The  western  third  of  the  province  is  traversed  by  the  !;io 
A[)p()di,  of  which  the  Upanema  forms  a  branch.  TIk-sc 
two  streams  take  their  source  in  the  serras  bounding  tlu' 
province  on  the  south  and  flow  northward,  uniting  onlv 
a  i^cw  miles  from  the  sea.  Cazal  says  that  the  lands  l)or(loi- 
ing  the  A})podi  are,  for  the  most  ))art,  plains  diversillcd  liy 
numerous  lagoons  that  dry  up  in  the  rainless  y(>ars.  The 
river  is  navigaltle  for  canoes  only  as  far  as  Santa  Liiziti, 
six  leagues  from  the  ocean. 

The  greater  part  of  the  ])rovincc  is,  like  the  province  of 
Parahyl)a,  dry  and  largely  covered  by  low,  sparse  vegetation 
{Caling'as  carrasquentas),  Init  on  the  higher  lands,  win  re 
the  soil  is  good,  there  are  considerable  areas  covered  In- 
forest  and  adapted  for  cnltivation.  Forests  arc  also  round 
in  the  eastern  part  on  the  low,  swampy  grounds,  and  along 
the  banks  of  some  rivers. 

Cotton  and  sugar-cane  are  the  principal  productions  of 
the  country,  and  arc  cultivated  on  the  serras  and  rivoi- 
margins,  ))articularly  of  the  rivers  Ceara-merim,  Cariniatau, 
Potengf,  Trahiry,  &c. 

Pomjjeo  says  that  there  were,  in  1862,  one  hundred  and 
eighty-five  sugar  factories  in  the  province,  producing  87o.0i'i' 
arrobas.  The  caniahuha  palm  (^Copcrnicia  ccrifcra)  is  cul- 
tivated largely  on  the  low  grounds,  and  is  one  of  the  most 
important  vegetable  productions  of  the  country.  This  I)cau- 
tiful  palm,  which  is  met  with  all  over  the  northeastern 
provinces  of  Brazil,  is  of  so  much  interest  that  I  will  give 
a  short  description  of  it  and  its  many  uses. 

It  grows  to  a  height  of  thirty  or  thirty-five  feet,     TliC 


PROVINCE   OF   RIO   GRANDK   DO   NORTE. 


453 


!  province  of 


leaf-stalks  rcnuiiii  ijcrsistcut  to  a  height  of  six  feet,  more  (jr 
less,  from  the  gi-oiiiid,  the  I'est  of  the  stem  beiiig  smooth. 
The  fronds  arc  faii-sha}}ed,  furnished  'with  thorns,  and  dis- 
jiosed  in  a  close  ball-like  head,  so  that  the  tree  presents  a 
very  different  api)earance  from  that  of  any  otlier  s[)ecies  of 
imlin. 

The  uses  to  which  the  different  part  of  the  plant  can  Ijc 
put  arc  exceedingly  numerous. 

The  roots  are  used  as  sarsaparilla.  The  stem,  when  about 
six  feet  high,  is  furnished  with  a  j)ith  wliieh,  treated  with 
water,  gives  a  sort  of  meal  used  for  food  in  famine  times. 
The  adult  stem  is  an  excellent  timber  employed  in  building. 
The  midribs  of  the  fronds  are  nsed  for  jnakiug  fences,  &c., 
the  leaves  for  thatching,  the  rd)re  for  cordage.  The  fruit, 
[iroperly  cooked,  tastes  like  boiled  Indian  corn,  and  is  used 
for  food.      The  gum  is  cdilile. 

Soon  after  the  young  leaves  have  opened,  they  arc 
cut  and  dried  in  the  shade.  Scales  of  a  waxy  substance 
are  then  easily  dislodged  from  their  surlace,  and  may  be 
melted  over  a  fire  into  cakes.  This  is  the  carnahuba 
wax.  The  same  substance  is  said  to  be  furnished  also 
hy  the  berries.  It  is  very  brittle  and  brown  in  color,  but 
it  may  be  bleached.  Mixed  with  common  wax  or  tal- 
low, it  is  made  into  candles  of  a  fair  quality.  The  i)ro- 
poi'tion  is  usually  three  parts  carnahuba  to  one  i)art  wax, 
or  one  eighth  to  one  tenth  of  tallow.  (Burton.)  This 
palm  is  so  very  abundant  that  its  wax  is  likely  to  be- 
come a  very  important  article  of  export  from  the  northern 
provinces 

The  carnalmha  may  be  occasionally  seen  in  the  prov- 
ince of  Bahia.  Burton  met  with  it  in  the  valley  of  the 
>uo  Francisco,  just  above  the  Barra  do  Rio  Grande,  but  it 


k 


454 


GEOLOGY   AND   I'lIYSICAL   GEOGRAPHV. 


is  most  abundant  growing  on  the  low  lands  l)ordci'ing  tlio 
streams  in  the  provinces  of  Pcrnambueo,  Parahyha,  Ccui  i. 
and  Piaiihy.  The  wax  is  collected  to  a  considerable  cxttin. 
and  one  may  buy  carnahuba  candles  or  wax  all  along  the 
coast.* 

In  addition  to  sugar  and  cotton  and  the  carnahuba,  rice. 
mandioca,  beans,  tobacco,  &c.  are  cultivated.  A  species  of 
cochineal  insect  is  found  in  Brazil,  living  on  the  leaves  of 
cacti,  and  it  has  been  supposed  that  it  might  be  cultivahil 
successfully  in  this  province,  and  made  an  article  oi'  cniu- 
nierce.  Pompeo  says  that  it  is  found  in  the  Serttio  (»!' 
Scrido,  but  he  does  not  say  whether  it  is  made  use  uf  oi' 
not.f 

In  t)ic  interior  large  herds  of  cattle  arc  raised,  and  in 
18G2  there  were  2,013  cattle  fazendas,  J  with  about  iji)M) 
head  of  cattle. 

The  climate  of  the  province  is  very  hot  and  dry,  ami 
droughts  of  great  severity  sometimes  prevail. 

The  most  impf)rtant  place  in  Rio  Grande  do  Norte  is 
Natal,  situated  at  the  mouth  of  the  Potengy.  It  is  a  small 
town,  but  of  some  little  importance.  The  entrance  t<»  the 
river  is  very  ditlieult,  owing  to  shoals  and  rocks.  On  l\w. 
southern  side  is  a  stone  reef  represented  m  the  following 
sketch-map  from  Almeida. 


*  Sec  Von  IMartius,  Palms,  p.  49  ;  Dr.  IManoel  Arriula  tla  Caniara  in 
Koster,  Travels  in  Brazil,  Vol.  II.  p.  311  ;  Bramle,  An  Ai.connt  of  ;i 
Vegetable  Wax  from  Brazil,  Phil.  Trans.,  1811,  p.  261;  Boussingiiult, 
Ann.de  C/dmie,  Vol.  XXIX.  p.  330;  Sir  M.  A.  tic  Machedo,  Notice  sur  le 
palmier  Cdniauba,  Paris,  1867  ;  Aj^Mssiz,  Journey  in  Brazil,  ]).  453. 

t  Sjiix  and  Martins  (Travels  in  Brazil,  Vol.  II.  p.  19)  speak  of  the  occur- 
rence of  the  cochineal  insect  in  the  province  of  Sao  Paulo. 

J  Accioli,  Cvro(jr(ipltia  do  Brazil,  p.  61,  says  that  cheese  and  butter  arc 
manufactureil  and  ex2)orted  to  a  considerable  extent, 


TROVINCE  OF  RIO  GRANDE  DO  NORTE. 


4.j5 


and  buttor  arc 


The  coast  is  bordered  by  reefs,  Itut  they  have  never  been 
oxaiuined  by  a  competent  observer. 

So  far  as  the  geology  of  the  provhicc  is  concerned,  the 
southern  i)art  appears  to  be  largely  composed  of  gneissose 
ami  other  metamorpliic  rocks,  which  form  in  the  interior  a 
liigli  and  more  or  less  mountainous  country  like  that  of  the 
provinces  immediately  south.  Bordering  this  is  a  consid- 
orablc  band  of  tertiary  rocks.  The  immediate  vicinity  of 
the  sea  is  flat,  sandy,  and  often,  as  in  the  vicinity  of  Natal, 
covered  by  dunes  of  blown  sand.  I  know  of  no  mines  or 
mineral  deposits  in  the  province,  though  gold  is  said  to 
occur  there.  In  the  Exposition  Univcrselle  of  18(37,  a 
siiccinien  of  native  sulphur,  said  to  have  come  from  this 
province,  was  exhibited.  I  know  of  no  localities  in  Brazil 
which  atTord  native  sulphur,  though  it  has  been  affirmed  to 
exist  on  the  Itatiaiossii.  One  of  the  principal  products  of 
the  i)rovincc  is  sea-salt,  which  is  largely  manufactured  at 
the  Salinas  d'Assii  and  ^Iossor6. 


45G 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


THE    I'llOVIXCE   OF   CEARA. 

Geof^rapliical  Position  and  Limits  of  the  Province.  —  Tlio  Sorra  da  Yltiajiabiv 

—  Its  Toi)ojj;ni|)hy  and  Ueolo;,'ical  Structure.  —  Scrra  de  Araripc.  —  Hivtr 
Basins.  —  (ichcral  Siictfii  of  tiie  Gcoio;ry  of  ilie  Province.  —  Clinuiic. — 
Character  of  tlie  Soil.  —  Productions.  —  City  of  Fortalcza.  —  Po]>uhiiiuii  ut' 
tlie  Province.  —  Gardner's  Skctcli  of  the  Gcolopry  of  Cearii.  —  CiiarMctcr  of 
Country  in  tiic  Vicinity  of  Aracaty. —  Description  of  ('ountry  lutumi 
Aracaty  and  Ic().  —  Scrra  de  I'crcira.  —  Villa  do  Ic()  and  Vicinity.  —  Conn 
try  latwcen  Ic()  and  Crato.  —  (iold  Washings.  —  Crato.  —  Scrra dc  Aiiiri|it 

—  Villa  da  Barra  do  Jardim.  —  Dus(ri])tion  of  I'ossil  Fish  Locality.  —  Tin' 
Fishes  noticed  by  Spix  and  ALirtius  and  Otlicrs,  and  described  by  Professor 
Agassiz.  —  Glacial  Phenomena  of  Vicinity  of  Fortalcza  spoken  of  liy  Pro- 
fessor Agassiz.  —  Mammalian  Remains.  —  Minerals,  —  Metcorolites. 

The  province  of  Ccara  is  l)ouiidcd  on  the  noi'tli  liy  tlic 
Atlantic,  on  the  oast  by  the  provinces  of  Rio  Grande  do 
Norte  and  Parahyba,  on  the  sonth  liy  the  province  of  I'it- 
namhuco,  and  on  the  west  by  Piauhy,  and,  accordino;  to  I>r. 
Pompeo,  has  an  area  of  4,G81  sqnare  miles.  Its  wcsti'iu 
bonndary  line  is  formed  by  a  narrow  range  of  hi«:li  liiiuls 
called  collectively  the  Scrra  da  Ybiapalia.*  l*onii)eo  say.s 
that  this  serra  begins  near  the  coast  not  fiir  from  the  ea.stcni 
month  of  the  Paraliyl)a,  and  runs,  under  the  names  of 
Serra  Grande,  Serra  da  Ybiapaba  or  Crathcus,  in  an  al- 
most southerly  direction,  to  the  confmes  of  the  province  of 
Pcrnambuco,  M'here  it  ties  in  with  the  great  serra  rnnning 

*  This  name  is  spelled  in  a  variety  of  ways,  as  Ybiapaba,  Hihiappidia,  Ipin- 
paba,  &c.  Some  vould  make  it  mean  land  of  prrcipices.  Accord  iu^  to  tlie 
Diet,  da  Lingoa  Tupi,  Jl'ji  apdha  means  terra  tdl/uula,  or  (jashed  hind. 


PPwOVINCE   OF   CKARA. 


4; 


H 


riiu.'c  ot"  TiT- 
)r(liiio;  to  I>i'. 


soulliwcst,  forniiii.tr  the  wutcr-shcd  between  tlio  l)iisins  of 
tlic  I'iirimliylia  aiul  Sao  Fi-unciseo,  and  called  the  Serra  dos 
r)()iis  Irnirius  or  Jjorltorcnia. 

In  all  this  extension  the  scrra  presents  steep  slojies  and 
nl'tcn  pi'ecipitons  sides  towards  the  east,  hut  its  top  is  jiei- 
I'l'ctly  tlat,  foi-niinjj;  a  ehapada,  aeeording-  to  Feijo,  2,000 
to  2,400  teet  hi^h.  This  ehapada  is  in  some  places  tVo!u 
tliii'ly-two  to  fit'ty-six  nnles  in  width.  On  the  westei'n  side 
the  slope  is  not  so  marked,  and  the  I'ountry  a|)pears  to  grow 
'Tiulnallv  lower  all  tlio  way  eastward  to  the  river  J*ai'na- 


Iiyliii.  At  Cratheus  the  scrra  is  al)ruptly  liroken  through 
liy  the  valley  of  the  Poty.  As  to  the  exact  structure  of  any 
part  of  this  scrra  in  detail  our  information  is  very  scanty, 
liut  from  tlio  ol)servations  of  Gardner,  Capancma,  Feijo, 
Ponipco,  and  others,  there  can  ])C  no  douht  that  it  is  com- 
posed of  comi)arativcly  modern  stratdied  ?ocks  lying  hor- 
izontally on  disturbed  gncissosc  and  other  metaniorphic 
strata. 

The  horizontal  strata  appear  to  be  ])rincipaH3'  oandstones. 
Oardner  sui)])osed  that  the  whole  range  was  cretaceous.  On 
lliis  head  1  shall  have  more  to  sav  farther  on.  The  serra 
separating  the  Province  of  Ceara  from  Pernambuco  is  called 
Araripe.  This  range  is  of  the  same  general  character  as 
llio  scrra  just  described.  At  the  Ciid  of  the  Tcrmo  do  Jar- 
dim  it  grows  very  low,  and  Dr.  Pompeo  describes  the  watcr- 
sIkmI  l^etween  the  Riacho  dos  Porcos,  which  flows  into  the 
Rii)  Salgado  in  Ceara  from,  the  Riacho  do  Mundo  Novo, 
\\\w\\  ilows  towards  the  Sao  Francisco,  as  of  very  little  ele- 
vation, and  it  has  been  thought  practicable  to  connect  over 
it  llie  waters  of  the  Rio  de  Sao  Francisco  with  those  of  the 
>algado  in  Ceara.  Beyond  this  point  the  sei'ra,  after  suffer- 
)n;i  contiimal  interruptions,  stretches  northward  along  the 

Vol.  1.  20 


458 


GEOLOGY  AND  PHYSICAL  GEOGnAPIIY. 


oastoiT.  l)()r(lor  of  llio  province,  until  near  tlio  soa  It  niocfs 
vitli  tlic  IMatcau  of  Appodi. 

The  province  is  divided  into  two  portions  by  a  lino  of 
scrra.s  wliicli  runs  from  the  sea-shore  near  the  capital  s(jiit!i- 
west  or  south-southwest  to  the  .Serra  da  Yhiapalta.  The 
southeastern  half  of  the  })rovince  forms  a  single  river  Imsin. 
and  is  watered  by  the  river  Jaguaril)e  and  its  trilmlaiics. 
The  western  is  watered  by  a  host  of  little  rivers,  all  IJowiiiLi- 
directly  into  the  sea. 

The  coast  forms  a  broad  belt  of  sands  but  slightly  clevntod 
above  the  sea.  This  belt  varies  in  width  from  four  to  six 
leagues.  (Pompdo.)  The  sands  are  light  and  piled  u|( 
more  or  less  in  dunes,  while  in  some  places  they  diil'i 
inland  to  a  consideral)le  distance.  The  low  coast  lands, 
which  have  a  coating  of  alluvial  matter,  arc  very  fertile,  niul 
arc  ])lantcd  with  cane,  mandioca,  &c. 

From  the  coast  the  land  rises  gradually  towards  the 
scrras,  and  is  uneven  though  not  properly  mountainous, 
being  diversified  by  hills  and  plains.  According  to  tlio 
descriptions  of  Dr.  Pompdo,  the  sertao,  or  the  greater  i)ai't 
of  the  area  of  the  lower  country,  is  composed  of  miea-slatc. 
gneiss,  and  other  metamorphic  rock.*  The  country  appears 
to  have  been  once  covered  by  a  sheet  of  sandstone  similar  to 
the  great  sandstone  formation  of  Piauhy,  to  be  descril>ed  in 
the  next  chapter.  This  has  been  denuded  to  a  great  extent, 
the  sandstone  in  many  cases  being  left  capping  the  hills. 

The  climate  in  the  interior  is  very  hot  and  dry,  but  on 
the  sea-coast  it  is  moist  and  more  tempered  by  the  rciVebli- 

*  Pompco,  Ensuio  Esfntistico  da  Promncia  do  Ceard,  p.  145,  saj's:  "In  the 
sertao  limestone  and  marble  occur  in  many  places,  as  in  the  Scrrote  de  Ciinta- 
gallo  (Caminho  de  Baturifc'),  where  the  rock  is  a  primitive  marble,  Giboia,  four 
or  five  leagues  from  the  capital,  &c.,  &c.  Capancma  reports  graphite  in  con- 
nection with  limestone. 


PROVIXCF   OF   CKARA. 


4.VJ 


in,r  lircozos  flint  blow  in  from  tlic  nco^ii.  The  grontost 
licnt  cxp(n-ii'iico(l  on  tlio  sortao  is  :].")°  Ct-iit.  (!>.")°  Fahr.),  and 
Ihc  t<'ini)cratiirc  docs  not  fall  hclow  1S°  Coid.  (('»]. 4  Fahr.) 

Tlio  rainy  season  be^-ins  in  Jannaiy  or  March  and  lasts 
iiiilil  June.  The  rest  of  the  year  is  without  rain,  the  rivers 
anil  s(  reams  dry  uj),  and  occasionally  the  want  of  water  over 
iritain  tracts  Is  such  that  the  inhabitants  are  olilioed  to 
Icavci  for  more  favored  districts.  Accioli  *  says  that  in 
17'.'-  !i  drought  i»rcvailed  for  four  months,  and  caused  the 
iulialtitants  of  seven  frequezias  to  abandon  them  entirely.! 
OtJKi'  noted  seems  j)i'cvailed  durinj^-the  years  \X'li')  and  1H45. 

P()nii)uo  divides  the  soil  into  bcira-mar,  which  is  fitted  for 
agricultural  ])urposes ;  moutuoHO^  ])roductivc  and  covered 
with  forest;  and  si'rt.ao,  dry,  cut  up  by  taboleiros,  hills,  <fcc., 
ami  with  brooks  dry  during  the  summer. 

Tlic  sertao  is  valuable  for  pasturage,  aiul  Ceara  is  noted 
tor  its  cattle,  of  which,  according  to  oflicial  jinpers,  there 
wore,  in  18.34,  about  310,000  head,  with  nearly  40,000 
lioi-scs.  Cheese  is  manufactured  in  consideral»le  quantity, 
lint  only  for  home  consumption,  but  for  ex])ort. 

Among  the  natural  vegetable  jn-oductions  may  be  men- 
tiitn('(l  the  following :  The  Quina,  ipecacuaidia,  tatajuba, 
jafaranda,  ccdro,  pao  d'arco,  and  a  host  of  other  species  of 
woDils  valuable  for  Imilding  and  dying  purjioses,  and  the 
lialsanio,  jatoba,  almescar,  maneqoba,  carnahulia,  caju,  man- 
gal  ta,  A'C,  &c. 

Cotton,  coffee,  sngar-cane,  and  the  other  vegetable  pro- 
ductions of  Northern  Brazil,  are  here  cultivated. :{: 

*  (iimjrnjia  do  Brasil,  p,  49. 

t  A  very  gra])hic  account  of  the  droughts  of  the  northeastern  coast  of  Brazil 
is  to  Ix'  foiind  in  Koster's  Travels  in  Brazil. 

t  I'mnpeo  gives  the  ibllowinji  amounts  of  cotton,  sugar,  and  coffee  cxportoil 
Knwr.'n  July,  1857,  and  April,  1858  :  Cotton,  5:2,552  ;  sugar,  121,697;  Coffee, 
SCH.no'j  arrobas. 


4G0 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GKOGRAPIIY. 


The  caj)ital  city  is  Fortalcza,  or  Ccarii,  a  city  of  sodio 
10,000  iiihal)itaiits,  situated  on  tho  coast  about  two  leai^iKs 
distant  from  the  mouth  of  the  river  Ccarii.  Its  priiici|)al 
importance  consists  in  its  export  of  coflec.  Besides  the  "aiii- 
tal  tlicrc  are  seven  other  fuiall  cities  in  the  province,  nam  Is . 
Aracaty,  eight  miles  ahove  the  mouth  of  the  Jag'uarHic  on 
the  cast  bank,  a  place  next  to  the  capital  in  impoitain  o. 
and  noted,  amongst  otiier  things,  for  its  manufactuic  ot 
carnahuba  candles,  sole-leather,  Arc,  S:c  ;  Ico,  a  fcaifully 
li  place,  about  thirty  leagues  from  Aracaty,  on  the  Rin 
Salgado ;  Crato,  situated  in  a  fertile  district  eighty  Icaiiucs 
from  the  sea  ;  Granja,  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  Cainocini. 
a  good  })ort  and  stopping-place  for  steamers  from  Poniaiii- 
buco ;  Quixeramobim,  a  little  city  in  a  cattle  district  in  tln' 
scrtao  ;  Baturite,  sixteen  leagues  from  the  capital,  and  inttci! 
for  its  activity  in  the  cultivation  of  coffee,  sugar-cane,  Ac. : 
and  Maranguape,  also  noted  for  its  coffee  and  sugar  planta- 
tions. 

The  whole  population  of  the  province  is  probal)ly  ahoiu 
540,000. 

In  the  year  1841  Gardner  published,  in  the  "  Edinburgh 
New  Philosophical  Journal,"*  a  short  paper  on  the  gcdhiuy 
of  Cearii.  This  article  gives  so  clear  and  minute  a  descii])- 
tion  of  the  country,  and  contains  so  many  important  gonhni- 
cal  facts,  that  I  think  it  worthy  of  being  reproduced  almost 
in  full,  ])articidarly  since  I  shall  have  to  examine  critically 
some  of  his  general  conclusions  arrived  at,  not  only  in  this 
paper,  but  also  in  his  since  published  "  Travels  in  Brazil." 


*  Gpolofriciil  Notes  made  (liirinjr  a  Journey  from  the  Coast  into  tiie  Interior 
of  tlie  rrovinee  of  Ceara',  in  tiie  Nortli  of  Brazil,  embracing  an  Ac(<mrn  i>l'  a 
Deposit  of  Fossil  Fishes,  by  George  Gardner,  Esq.,  Edinburgh  New  riiiiuM'plii- 
cal  Journal,  April,  1841,  \).  7,'). 


PROVINCE   OF   CKARA. 


4G1 


robaltlv  aliont 


Mr.  Gardner  says  :  — 

"  I  landed  at  the  northeast  corner  of  the  province,  at  the  town 
of  Araeaty,  whieli  is  situated  on  the  cast  baidv  of  the  llio  Jaguarihe, 
;it  three  leagues  from  the  coast.     The  first  thing  that  struck  mo 
(.ill  my  arrival  was  the  flatness  of  the  country  around  it,  reminding 
(luo  of  the  descriptions  which  arc  given  of  the  i)aui})as  of  IJiicnos 
Ayros.     With  the  exception  of  a  few  low  sanddiills  towards  the  sea, 
ami  a  round,  isolated  one  about  eight  hundred  feet  high,  situated 
two  and  a  half'lcagucs  to  the  southwest  of  the  town,  calh.'d  the  Serra 
doArcre,  there  ia  nothing  to  interrupt  the  uniform  level.     The  soil 
f(ir  many  leagues  around  is  of  a  sandy  nature,  and  the  character- 
istic vegetation  is  a  heautiful  species  of  palm  called  caruahul)a  liy 
the  brazilians.      It  is  the    Corypha  cerifera  of  Martins,  and   is  so 
aliuiidant  that,  on  my  journey  south  to  the  Villa  do  Ico,  I  ixxle  for 
aliout  two  davs  through  a  forest  of  almost  nothing  else.     Two  and 
a  half  leagues  to  the  soutlx  of  Araeaty  1  first   met   with   rocks. 
Tills  was  on  crossing  the  river  at  a  place  called  the  Passagem  das 
Pedras.     I  found  them  to  consist  of  thin  strata  of  gneiss,  almost 
in  a  vertical  position.     The  little  inclination  which  they  had  was 
towards  the  northwest,   in  the  direction  of  the  above-mentioned 
Serra  de  Arerd.     From  this  place  to  the  Villa  do  Sao  Bernardo,  a 
distance  of  a  little  less  than  eight  leagues,  the  country  continues 
perfectly  flat,  but  the  ground  among  the  carnahuba  palms,  and  in 
several  large  open  spaces   almost  destitute  of   vegetation,  called 
'■avirons,  is  covered   with   abundance  of  gravel ;    and  this,  which 
oxteiifls  over  large  tracts,  gives  it  the  appearance  of  the  dried-uj) 
lied  of   an  immense  rivci'.     Intermingled  with  this  gravel  there 
are  muncrous  boulders  of  various  sizes,  the  largest  I  saw  not  being 
more  than  four  feet  high.     They  are  all  more  or  less  rounded,  and 
consist  of  granite,  gneiss,  and  quartz.     For  the  next  ten  leagues 
the  country  continues   nearly   of   the   same   character,   with    the 
exee])tion  of  a  low  range  of  gravelly  hills  running  from  cast  to 
west.  ;ind  wooded  with  shnd)s  and  small  trees,  the  most  common 
I'f  which  is  a  species  of  mimosa.     During  the  next  ten  leagues  a 


4G2 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


sliglit  l)ut  porct'ptil)le  rise  of  the  country  takes  place.  Tlie  soil  i> 
generally  a  yellow-colorod  clay,  in  many  places  thickly  coveruil  wnl, 
gravel  and  lioulders,  while  in  others  gneiss  rocks  are  seen  croppin- 
out  and  forniing  often  long  slightly  elevated  ridges  covered  with  ,1 
species  of  cactus  and  a  large  hromelia.  Their  sti'ata,  like  thuM 
farther  down,  ai-e  almost  vertical.  In  this  tract  carnahuha  ]i,iliii> 
become  less  numerous,  and  small  dicotyledonous  trees  and  >liniliv 
more  abundant,  but  all  of  them  in  the  drv  season,  at  which  time 
I  passed,  destitute  of  leaves.  These  deciduous  woods,  whicli  nftin 
cover  large  tracts  of  country,  are  called  catingas  by  tlie  lira/il- 
ians.  These  tracts  are  still  farther  characterized  by  three  laivf 
species  of  cacti,  belonging  to  the  genus  Cereus.  Duriiiu'  tin 
next  twenty  leagues,  which  bnnight  me  to  the  Villa  do  Ic'i.  thr 
nature  of  the  country  ditfers  in  again  becoming  moi-e  level,  cmi 
sisting  of  large  open  campos  or  vargens,  the  vegetation  of  whiLli, 
during  he  dry  season,  is  quite  burnt  u]),  but  they  are  said  to 
yield  abundance  of  grass  during  the  rains  ;  and  the  catinpis  nr 
deciduous  woods  are  much  larger  than  they  are  farther  dcwii. 
The  rocks  are  gneiss  and  (piartz,  and  in  several  jilaccs  large  tract > 
arc  covered  with  fragments  of  the  latter,  more  or  Icsk  i-ouiidcil. 
At  about  ten  leagues  below  Ic6,  the  monotonous  level  of  the  cinni- 
try  is  varied  by  a  mountain  range,  which  makes  its  appcaraurc  t^ 
the  eastward.  This  is  the  Serra  de  Pereira.  It  runs  from  tla' 
southwest  to  the  northeast.  It  '  sixteen  leagues  in  lenuth.  Init 
its  greatest  height  is  not  more  than  one  thousand  feet  ;d)t/ve  the 
level  of  the  ])lains  in  which  it  is  situated.  The  structure  of  it> 
southwest  extremity  at  least  is  entirely  primitive,  but  near  its  lia>e 
I  observed  a  coarse  red  conglomerate,  containing  rounded  frai:nieiits 
of  both  primitive  and  secondary  rocks. 

"The  Villa  do  Tco,  which  is  one  of  the  finest  in  the  interior  of 
the  north  of  Brazil,  is  situated  on  the  east  bank  of  tlu'  Iti"  J^i- 
guaribc,  in  the  middle  of  one  of  the  large  open  campos  wiiirh  I 
have  alreadv  described,  and  during  the  drv  season  is  one  of  tin 
most  miserable  places  imaginable  to  live  in.     The  country  urouuu 


PROVINCE   OF   CEABA. 


403 


intrv  urouuu 


it  is  then  so  raucli  dried  up  that  not  a  green  leaf  is  to  be  seen  ; 
iiiid  the  river,  which  (hn-ing  tiie  rains  is  of  cunsiderahle  size, 
becomes  quite  dry.  The  houses  are  all  built  of  l)rick,  which  are 
iiiiule  from  a  very  good  kind  of  clay  found  in  the  neighborhood, 
iuid  are  all  white\rashed  on  the  outside  with  a  wliite  limestone, 
which  is  found  about  ten  leagues  to  the  west  of  the  villa. 

"  r-'rom  Ic:')  I  went  to  the  Villa  do  Crato,  which  is  about  thirty- 
four  leagues  to  the  southwest  of  the  former  place,  lietwoen  these 
two  places  the  country  is  of  a  more  hilly,  undulating  character, 
more  al)undantly  wooded,  the  trees  larger,  and  many  of  them  ever- 
;.'recn.  Owing  to  these  circumstances  but  few  of  the  large 
caiupos  which  exist  l)elow  Ico  arc  met  with.  The  carriage  of 
gfidds  between  Aracaty  and  Ico  is  effected  in  large  wagons,  gener- 
iilly  ih'awu  by  twelve  oxen  ;  but  the  hilly  nature  of  the  country 
between  Ico  and  Crato  do(}s  not  admit  of  this  mode  of  convevance, 
the  1  lacks  of  horses  and  even  of  oxen  being  made  use  of  instead. 
Shnrtly  after  leaving  Ico  I  passed  over  the  southwest  end  of  the 
Srrra  de  I'ereira  at  a  place  where  it  has  but  a  slight  elevation  and 
consists  entirely  of  gneiss.  From  this  i)lace  to  the  Villa  das 
Livras  da  Mangabeira,  a  distance  of  about  ten  leagues,  the  country 
is  of  a  gently  undulating  nature,  and  in  m:iny  places  well  wooded. 
This  villa,  which  is  situated  close  to  the  llio  Jaguaribe,  takes  its 
uaine  from  a  number  of  small  gold-workings  (/((ryis)  which,  fi'om 
time  to  time,  for  many  years  past,  have  been  wrought  in  its  nei'zh- 
burlidod.  Nothing,  however,  was  done  to  any  extent  till  about 
t\V(i  years  ago,  when  two  English  miners  were  sent  for  l)y  a  com- 
piiiiy  in  the  city  of  Ceara,  the  capital  of  the  province.  They  con- 
tiiuiud  their  labors  tdl  about  two  moiiths  before  I  passed  through 
tlie  phice,  having  been  recalled  by  their  employers.  I  could  not 
liarn  what  amoimt  of  gold  they  had  obtained,  but  the  persons  of 
\vhom  1  made  inquiries  remarked,  with  apparently  much  truth, 
tliiif  they  did  not  believe  it  was  sutlicient  to  repay  the  expense, 
"1"  the  work  woidd  not  have  l)een  abandoned.  The  ;;old  is  here 
fouiul  in  small  particles,  in  a  dark-colored  diluvial  soil,  at   a  con- 


4C4 


GKOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOfiRArilY. 


sklcrahlc  depth  ;  but  the  place  being  shut  up,  I  had  not  an  ojtjjnr 
tunity  of  examining  it. 

"  At  about  eighteen  leagues  below  Crato  I  lost  siglit  of  tlir 
gneiss  rocks,  and  for  the  next  four  found  them  replaced  l)y  a  lt.iv 
colored  primitive  clay-slate.  At  the  termination  of  this,  thr 
secondary  stratified  scries  begins,  the  few  rocks  which  1  met  with 
from  thence  to  Crato  consisting  of  a  white  coarse-grained  haml- 
stone. 

"  Tlie  small  Villa  do  Crato  stands  in  the  middle  of  a  lai'tri.' 
undulating  valley,  which  is  bounded  to  the  soutli,  to  the  west,  uinl 
1o  the  north  by  mountains  which,  in  their  highest  jjarts,  do  iint 
rise  more  than  from  l,-()()  to  1,.")()0  feet  above  the  level  of  tlic 
town.  The  country  around  is  very  fertile,  producing  alinndaiiiv 
of  cane,  from  which  an  impure  sugar,  in  the  form  of  small  sijuuiv 
cakes,  is  made,  mandioca,  Indian  corn,  rice,  cotton,  and  tobacco. 
besides  all  the  varieties  of  fruit  which  are  to  be  met  with  on  tho 
coast.  The  gi'cat  cause  of  this  fertility  is  the  numerous  spriiiirs 
which  exist  along  the  foot  of  the  mountains.  The  small  streams 
which  proceed  from  these  are  divaricated  in  a  thousand  diixctions, 
for  the  purpose  of  irrigating  the  plantations.  The  mo  mtaius  arc 
branches  of  the  long  range  which  sc])arates  the  ])roviiices  of  tin.' 
coast  from  that  of  Piauhv  to  the  west,  which  here  receives  tlio 
name  of  Serra  dc  Araripc.  Their  tops  are  perfectly  levtl.  ami  ex- 
tend so  for  many  leagues  to  the  westwaixl  and  soutliward,  foriniiu' 
what  the  Brazilians  call  Taboleiras.  I  have  ascended  this  raiiLiv 
in  all  directions,  and  have  universally  found  it  to  consist  of  a 
generally  white-colored  sandstone,  but  in  many  ])lacos  it  is  of  a 
reddish  tinge.  In  the  bed  of  one  of  the  largest  streams  wlurh  pro- 
ceed from  it,  where  a  section  of  the  rocks  to  a  considenilile  iKpth 
is  formed,  1  found  a  stratum  of  limestone  about  three  feet  tliick, 
immediately  below  tlie  sandstone,  and  below  it  anotiiei-  o*  an 
impure  coal,  two  feet  thick,  resting  on  another  stratuii;  of  limc- 
stonc.  Nothing  seems  to  have  disturl)ed  the  strata,  as  tiny  all 
lie  in  a  perfectly  horizontal  position,  and  the  level  nature  of  tli'' 


PROVINCE   OF    CKARA. 


■ili,") 


■^criiv  proves  that  this  is  geuci'iil.  In  the  Umestono  I  could  iiiuct 
with  no  fossil  remains.  The  tcnipcraturo  of  two  of  the  springs, 
wliich  rise  at  the  base  of  tlie  serra  1  found  on  examination  to  ho 
7.')°  Fahrenheit. 

'•That  part  of  the  serra  which  lies  to  the  south  of  (Jrato   is  a 
linnifh  which  runs  about  ten  leag'ues  to  the  eastward.      <  *u   tlie 
:.uuth  side  of  it  thei'e  is  another  small  villa  called  IJari'a  do  .hu'diui, 
distant  from  Crato  about  fourteen  leagues.      I  went  to  this  jilacc 
piirtly  for  the  purpose  of  botanizing  and  jjartly  to  make  a  collec- 
tion of  fossil  fishes,  which    I   was   informed   were   found    in  great 
[ilfuty  in  its  neighboi'hood.     The  road  skirts  along  the  base  of  the 
MiTa  in  a  southeast  direction  for  about  five  leagues,  at  the  termi- 
uatinn  of  which  it  is  necessary  to  ascend    it   for  the    ])ur])(ise  of 
crossing  to  the  other  side.     The  ascent  is  far  from  being  good,  it 
lieiug   left    entirely   in    the    li.iti's  of  nature.     Tlie   only   rock   I 
uliserved  was  sand^t  nio,  similar  to   that  which   exists   at  Crato. 
The  breadth  of  the  serra  here  is  nearly  eight   leagues,  and  during 
till'  whole  of  this  distance  the  road  is  as  level  as  a  bowling-green  ; 
;aul.  as  no  water   is  to   be  found  on   it,  travellers  are  oliliged  to 
siiiiply  themselves  with  it  before  ascending.      For  small  ]iai-ties  it 
is  carried  in  calabashes,  but  when  many  pass  together  a  horse  is 
provided  to  carry  two  large   leather  bagfuls.      These   Taboleiras 
are  generally  thuily  wooded,  with    small   trees,   the    principal  of 
which  are  a  sj)ecies  of  Cari/ocar  called  Pike,  a  small  tree  belong- 
m  to  the  natural  order  ApocynaccfO,  which  ])roduces  a  delicious 
fruit  called   Mangaba,   a  fine   species  of  Jtri/.^oi/ema,   the  Cashew 
[caju]    [AuacanUnm  ocddentale),   a    purjde-flowercd    (Jnalcd,    and 
several  small  leguminous  trees  belonging  to  the  division  Kectem- 
hriie. 

''  The  Villa  da  Barra  do  Jardim  stands  in  a  small  valley,  upwards 
I'f  a  leauue  in  length,  and  in  its  broadest  {)art  al)out  half  a  league 
in  hreadth.  It  is  bounded  to  the  north  and  cast  by  the  branch  of 
the  serra  which  I  crossed  over,  and  to  the  west  by  another,  but 
neither  so  broad  nor  so  long.  Having  made  inquiries  for  the  place 
20*  DD 


4G6 


GKOLOGY   AND   rilYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


where  the  foHsil  fishes  were  to  he  fouml,  I  was  directed  to  a  risiiii,' 
"round  which  extends  idoiig  the  foot  of  the  serrca.  On  my  arrival 
at  an  open  place  of  this  gently  sloping  ridge  to  the  north  of  tlio 
villa,  I  ft»und  the  ground  covered  with  great  abundance  of  st^iius 
of  various  sizes,  and  I  was  informed  that  almost  every  one  of 
them  on  being  broken  ])resented  some  part  or  other  of  a  tish. 
These  fragments  I  soon  found  to  consist  of  compact  fawn-coloixd 
limestone.  They  ai-e  of  all  sizes,  from  pieces  not  larger  than  an  c-ir 
to  blocks  of  several  feet  in  circumference,  .and  are  tdmost  all  rouinkil 
and  smoothly  pi)lishcd,  having  apparently  been  for  a  long  time 
under  the  influence  of  a  current  of  water.  They,  in  general,  split 
vei'y  readily,  and  almost  all  of  them  ])resent  parts  of  a  lish  in  a 
more  or  less  perfect  state,  lint  by  far  the  greater  nunilicr  nf 
them  are  so  much  broken  that  it  is  with  consideralile  ditiiciilty 
tolerably  perfect  specimens  can  be  obtained.  The  spot  which 
these  stones  occupy  is  not  above  an  hundred  yards  s(piarc,  anil 
almost  no  other  stone  is  mixed  with  them  ;  but  on  every  side  of 
this  deposit  the  ground  is  covered  with  little  rounded  sandstones, 
similar  to  the  rock  of  which  the  serra  is  com[)Osed.  Besides  this 
I  afterwards  visited  other  dejjosits,  one  half  a  league  to  the  mmxlx 
of  it  ;  one  at  a  place  called  Alaccape,  five  leagues  to  the  east  <if 
Jardim  ;  and  another  at  Mundo  Novo,  three  leagues  to  the  west: 
all  perfectly  similar  to  the  one  I  have  described,  being  all  situated 
on  the  declivity  of  the  low  hills  which  stand  between  the  valley 
and  the  serra,  and  all  occupying  places  which  are  almost  altogether 
free  from  other  kinds  of  stone.  From  these  places  1  have  obtained 
a  suite  of  si)ecimens,  cndiracing  npwai'ds  of  a  dozen  species  ut 
fossil  fish.*  They  vary  in  size  from  those  of  a  few  inches  in  lenj^th 
to  othei's  which  must  have  been  several  feet;  and  all  of  tliein.  ^o 
far  as  my  limited  knowledge  of  the  sidiject  allows  me  to  judge, 
except  two  species,  belong  to  the  order  Ci/cloiJca-  (;f  M.  Air^issiz. 
The  most  abundant  species  is  one  of  those  which  do  not  Ixlon.:  to 

*  Mr.  J.  E.  Bowman  in    a.   noto  says:  "Aj:!is>iiz   makes   tlieni  Imt  .-own 
species,  and  rcfei's  tlirec  of  theni  to  the  (^toucjid  group." 


PROVINCE   OF   CEARA. 


467 


this  order.  Of  it  I  possess  ii  nearly  pei'fect  specimen  aliout  a  foc^t 
anil  ii  luilf  long,  but,  judj^ini,'  tVom  other  fnigments  of  the  same 
sni'cics,  it  must  have  attained  a  much  lai;uer  size.*  it  has  the 
head  very  mueli  elongated,  and  the  scales  of  the  hack  and  alnlo- 
iiKii  are  angular,  while  those  of  the  sides  consist  of  but  one  row 
uf  long,  narrow  ones,  arranged  vertically.  Of  the  other  spec.  I 
i.ii]\  possess  the  tail  and  a  very  small  part  of  the  body.  It  ditlers 
tViiia  the  last  in  appearing  to  be  entirely  covered  with  small 
aiiiiidar  scales.  Both  of  them  1  have  no  doubt  belong  to  the  order 
t;,iii(,nl('(f  of  M.  Agassiz.f 

"On  breaking  these  stones,  some  of  them  e.\hil)it  abundance  of 
a  minute  bivalve  shell  ;  and  at  Mundo  Novo  I  met  with  a  very 
(lorft'ct  specimen  of  what  1  believe  will  prove  to  be  a  species  of 
Tiirrilitcs,  about  an  inch  and  a  half  kmg,  and  a  single  valve  of  a 
Venus  about  half  an  inch  in  length  and  in  very  excellent  pi'eser- 
vatinn.  Both  of  them  were  found  in  the  same  fragment  of  lime- 
stone. I  was  informed  by  a  person  in  .bu'dim  tiiai.  a  few  years  ago 
he  found  a  small  serpent  coiled  np  in  a  stone  whicii  had  been  split. 
hut  this,  no  doubt,  was  a  species  of  Ammonites.  In  the  several 
hundred  stones,  however,  which  I  broke  in  search  of  fish,  I  met 
witli  nothing  of  this  description.  During  my  excursions  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Barra  do  Jardim  I  nowhere  met  with  limestone 

When  wc  come  to  discuss,  in  the  next  chni)ter.  the  n;c- 
oldgy  of  the  neighboring  province  of  Pianhy,  wo  sliall  have 
iui  opportunity  of  seeing  how  correct  Dr.  Gardner's  conclu- 
sions are  Avitli  reference  to  the  age  of  the  sandstone  beds. 


:hcm  but  »cvcn 


*  "  Tlie  fish  hero  described  is  tlie  Aspidovhynrhus  Compfoni  A<xnss.  — 
.1.  E.  15." 

t  Specimens  of  these  fish  find  their  wny  all  alon;;  tlio  coast,  und  it  may  be 
well  for  future  observers  to  remenihcT  this.  I  hml  a  siiecinicn  of  .l«/»/</o- 
■hiliwliiis  <;iven  nie  at  Peneilo,  and  specimens  of  another  genus  were  sent  ine 
recently  by  Mr.  Luue  from  Maruim. 


4G8 


Gi:OLOGY   AND   rilYSICAL   GKOGIJAI'IIV. 


Tlio  above  imiici-  Avas  followed  in  tho  samo  joiiiMial  i,\- 
a  coniinunit'alioii  liy  Professor  Agassiz,  in  wliieli  llie  spi cics 
of  f(js.sil  li.sli  \v(M'e  named  and  desci'il)ed,  the  opinion  hcinn 
expresi^eil  that  lliey  were  of  crelaecous  age. 

The  (list  notice  1  have  seen  of  the  fossil  fishes  of  Piaiiliv 
and  Ceara  is  made  hy  Sjiix  and  Martins  in  Iheir  ''rrav(l>. 
one  of  Ihe  species  being'  hgured  in  the  atlas  aceompaiiyin^' 
their  w(.Jv. 

In  1S;;,S  Mr.  Xlcolet  jdaced  in  the  hands  of  Professor 
Agassiz  a  few  specimens  he  had  received  froii)  Pernaniliiicn. 

(lardner's  si)Ccimens,  in  the  collections  of  ^Ir.  IJowiiiiin. 
the  Manpiis  of  Sonthampton,  Lord  Ennislcillen,  and  Sir 
Philip  Egerton,  were  examined  by  Agassiz  in  IS-JO.  Tw.i 
years  later  M.  F.  Chahrillac  sent  to  ^f.  Elie  de  llcau- 
mont  from  Pernandtnco  a  few  more  specimens  he  li;iii 
olttained  from  Ceara.  These  were  jdaccd  in  the  hands  of 
Professor  Agassiz,  who  made  a  long  rejjort  on  them  in  ;i 
letter  addressed  to  M.  Elio  dc  Beanmont,  itnlilisheil  in  Ilic 
Cnmiytes  licmlns,  Vol.  XVIII.  p.  1007.  In  this  letter  Agas- 
siz enumerates  seven  species  as  known  to  him  from  the 
province  of  Ceara,  viz.  :  — 

Aspi(Ior/it/nc/uis  Conijilus  Ag. 

Lr/fufo/iis  tail  minis  Ag. 

]lhacu/i'j)is  biircdiix  Ag. 

Rliacolrpia  Olfcrsii  Ag. 

R/i(iro/r/n's  hit II H  Ag. 

Cladoci/cfiis  (iiirdiicri  Ag. 

CalamopJcnriis.  cijUndricus  Ag. 

Professor  Agassiz  in  the  above-mentioned  letter  restates 
his  belief  in  the  cretaceous  age  of  the  fishes;  and  recent 
examinations  of  considerable  collections  in  Rio  confirm  liini 
ill  this  opinion. 


PROVINCE   OF   CEARA. 


4G9 


.cc(>iiij)aiiyiiii:- 


From  Ccarii,  the  capiUil  of  the  province,  Pi-ofcssor  Agasslz 
made  a  journey  to  the  serras,  and  studied  tlie  ghicial  phe- 
iiomena  there  exhibited,  between  the  sea  and  the  .^erra 
lie  Aratanha  he  rei)orts  that  he  fonnd  everywiiere  on  the 
hi'dier  hinds  a  niorainic  soil  with  lioulders. 

"On  this  very  serni  of  Anitanhu,"  suys  .\h's.  Agassiz,  "  iit  the 
foot  of  which  wo  happen  to  have  taken  up  our  (piarters,  tlie  ylaeial 
jilR'nouiena  are  as  le.uihle  as  in  any  of  the  valleys  of  Maine,  or  in 
those  of  the  mountains  of  (.'uniberland  in  luigland.  It  had  evi- 
dcutlv  a  local  <;lacier  fornied  by  the  nieetin--  of  two  arms,  which 
Jesrcnded  from  two  depressions  spreailiii--  riglit  and  left  on  the 
iipprr  part  of  the  sorra  and  joining  hedow  in  the  main  valley.  A 
!;u--('  part  of  the  medial  moraine  formed,  by  the  meeting  of  these 
two  ai-ms  can  still  be  traced  in  tiie  central  valley.  One  of  the 
Literal  moraines  is  perfectly  i)resorved,  the  village  road  cutting 
thrnugh  it;  while  the  village  itself  is  biult  just  within  the  ter- 
liiiiud  moraine  which  is  throwi;  nj)  in  a  long  ridge  in  front  of  it.'"  * 

At  the  close  of  the  chapter  Ironi  which  I  make  the  above 
extract  Prui'essor  Agassiz  hinisel!'  says  :  — 

"  I  spent  the  I'cst  of  the  day  in  ;\  special  examination  of  the 
ri-ht  lateral  moraine  and  part  of  the  front  moraine  of  the  glacier 
of  I'acatuba ;  my  object  was  especially  to  ascertain  whether  what 
;i[ipcared  a  moraine  at  first  might  not,  after  all.  be  a  s],>ui-  of  the 
j^urra  decomposed  in  place.  I  ascended  the  ridge  to  its  very  oi'igin, 
and  there  crossed  into  an  adjoining  depression,  immediately  below 
tlu'  sitio  of  Captain  Henri(iues,  where  I  found  another  glacial  bot- 
tom of  smaller  dimensions,  the  ice  of  which  ])rol)ably  never  reached 
the  [ilain.  Everywhere  in  the  ridges  encircling  these  depressions 
tlic  loose  materials  and  large  boulders  were  so  accumulated  and 
imbedded  in  clav  or  sand  that  their  morainic  cliaracter  is  mi- 
luistakable.     Occasionally,  where  a  ledge  of  the  miderlying  rock 

*  A  Journey  in  Brazil,  p.  4.50.   The  Serra  de  Aratanha  is  composed  of  gneiss. 


470 


GEOLOGY  AND  PHYSICAL  GKOGUAl'HY. 


crops  out,  in  places  where  the  <h'ift  liiis  lieeii  removed  by  (loim.la- 
tion,  the  ditlereuce  hetweeii  the  inoraiiie  and  the  rock  deennqMistd 
in  phiee  ie>  recognized  fit  once.  it  is  (■([ually  easv  to  distiii;L;iiisli 
the  boulders  whieli  here  and  thei'e  have  I'olled  down  fi'oin  tlu.' 
UKJuntain  and  .stnp])ed  against  the  moraine.  The  three  tliiuus  arr 
side  hy  side,  and  nnght  at  tirst  be  easily  cunfniuided,  l)nt  a  little 
familiarity  makes  it  easy  to  distiugiush  them.  When  the  lat(  la! 
moraine  turns  toward  the  foot  of  the  iuieient  glacier,  near  ilir 
point  i'.t  wiiich  the  lirook  of  I'acatidia  cuts  through  (lie  fnii,iir. 
and  a  little  to  the  west  of  the  lirook,  theiv  are  colossal  houldcrs 
leaning  against  tlie  luoi'aine,  from  the  siuumit  of  whicii  tiny  havi' 
probal)ly  rolled  down.  Near  the  cemetery  the  front  moraine  inn- 
sists  almost  entirely  of  small  (juart/  peldiles  ;  thei'c  are,  iioucv'  i', 
a  few  lai'ge  blocks  among  them.  The  medial  moraiuc!  t'xti'inls 
uearlv  throuuh  the  centre  of  the  villa<!e,  while  the  leftdiand  latnal 
moraine  lies  outside  of  the  vdlage,  at  its  eastern  end,  and  is  trav 
crscd  by  the  road  Iciiding  to  Cearii.  It  is  not  impossible  that 
eastward,  a  third  tributary  of  the  scrra  may  have  reached  the 
main  glacier  of  the  Pacatuba.  T  may  say  that  in  the  whole  valh'^ 
of  Hash  there  are  no  accunudatious  of  moraiuic  nniterials  lunn. 
characteristic  than  those  T  have  found  here,  not  even  aliout  thi 
Kirchet  ;  neither  are  there  anv  remains  of  the  kind  more  strikiii. 
about  the  valleys  of  Mount  Desert  in  >b\ine,  where  the  -larial 
phenomena  are  so  remai'kable  ;  nor  in  the  valleys  of  Loch  i'"i!io. 
Loch  Augh,  and  Loch  Long  in  Scotland,  where  the  traces  ct 
ancient  glaciers  are  so  distinct." 

Froin  Dr.  Felice,  a  land  .<snrvoyor  fnmilinr  witli  the  Pen-:i 
Grande,  Professor  Agassiz  learned  that  •'  there  is  a  wall  <>f 
loose  materials,  boulders,  stones,  Arc.,  rnnninfjj  from  east  to 
west  for  a  distance  of  some  sixty  leagues  from  the  l\io 
Araeaty-assu  to  Bom  Jesus  in  the  Serra  Grande"  ;  and  tliis 
wall  I^rofessor  Agassi/,  believes  to  be  a  part  of  the  lateral 
moraiiu'  lefl   by  a  ,grcat  Amazonian  glacier. 


riiOVIXCES   OF   CEAIJA. 


471 


i-ed  by  (l.Miu.la- 

•t'k  (Ic'cdiiniii.scd 

to  (listiiigiiisli 

luWU     fl'Olii    tll(; 

lirc'o  thiiiLis  arc 
Ird,  liiit  a  litili^. 
H'll  tlic  latiial 
icii'i',  Ileal-  tlir 
;li    tin;   fnihirr, 

loSSill     lllilllil,!-:, 

liioh  tlicv  havi' 
t  uioriiiiR'  cuu 
'  ui'e,  linwcvi  1'^ 
oraiiu;  I'Xtcuils 
.'ft-hiiii<l  laltTal 
1(1,  ami  is  ti-av 
inpossihlu  that 
0  reached  tliu 
10  whole  valli';' 
liiati.'vials  inniv 
veil  iilioiir   till' 

more  strikin-,' 
■re   the  ul.icial 

of  Loch  i'"iiie. 

tlie   traces  (if 

ith  the  Scrrii, 
)  is  a  wall  ni 
from  cast  to 
om  flic  ]\io 
!  "  ;  iind  tlii-^ 
if  the  lateral 


lloiios  of  huge  Mammals,  ^[astoiloiis  and  ^^o^•atll('ria,  ar*^ 
iliiiiidaiit  in  various  jiai'ts  of  the  in'oviiicc,  and  jiL'rfct'l  skel- 


■toiis 


lui\('  hcfii  found. 


ome  of  the  locidilics  are  the  [\)\- 


lowino':  .'^anta  Cathai'ina,  (lagoa,)  Silio  Cron/('t,  at  tin.'  foot 
dt'lliL'  Serra  Yhiajiaha  at  Jiduimuns;  iH^twccn  Cratlicus  and 
(^iii.\eram(jl)im  ;  Timliaiilta ;  in  the  place  called  Sncatinga  a 
>k('leton  was  found  in  an  excavati(jn,  and  jiart  was  scid  \o 
Iho :  at  Sta.  Cruz,  in  a  iagvVi,  another  skeleton  was  loniid. 

The  lollowing  notes  on  the   mineral   i)r(Kluctious  of  the 
lii'ovinee  ai'c  taken  fnjm  Dr.  l*omj)eo\s  Ihisido :  — 

.liiir//ij/sts.    Sei'ra  do  Tana.      Sonic  of  the  eiTstals  from  this  prov- 

iuci'  are  very  lar^e  and  of  a  heaiitiful  color. 
<iii/isiiiii.    Araripe  [Fihrons)  (.'airh'i. 
.\i/t/,ifre.    Found  all  over  the  interior,   l>iit  more  jiarticularly  at 

the  following  places  :    Tatajuha,  whei'e  it  was  (.'Xti'acted  hy  the 

unvernnient ;  I'indoha  (jioverumeiit  works);  TaLiVcioca  em  Ciinl; 

raniahul)'d  cm  Sao  Pedro  de  Villa  \'ii^-osa ;   Boassii  na  (jlranja  ; 

Ciiiiceii^rao,  Cui-ii ;  Pirangi,  ( 'hor(') ;   rruburctama  ;   Ipil,  etc. 
>'//.    [ii  various  parts  of  the  Jai'dim,  of  the  Sei'tao,  and  especially 

in  the  .Vracatv-assii,  the  wtiters  arc  impregnated  with   salt.     As 


L'lsewh 


lere  there  are,   in  ai' 


'illaceous  soils,  salt  licks  much  frc- 


(11 


U'lited  l>v  cattle.      Salt  is  lariixdv  manufactured  on  the  coast 


fi'eia  sea-water. 


Ahmi.    Feijo  says  that  a  considerable  surface  in  the  Inhamuns  is 
cdvered  with  alum.     Caiianema  reports  it  from  Ararijie. 


}f 


ii  Ik  IS  Id. 


Cafundo,  Inhanum^ 


r,/r/- 


yhiiilH 


\iiiiiiiilh  II 


fh. 


tc  of  Pofassixm.    Tpil,  Serra  (Jrande,  C'rato.  S.  (Jom; 
Cairiri,  in  veins.     (Juixeramobim  near  Lavras. 


do. 


■'//ii/r.    (.)uixeram( 


)bini. 


fiolil*   Cranja,  Batiu'itC',  Crato,  Termo  do  .Milagres,  Ipii,  Puo  Sab 

*  F(ii(i,  quoted  hy  Pr.  Pompt'o.  Ensnio,  &.C.,  1.52,  snys  :  "  T>o,  oiirn  oncontnun- 
"c  iiiii:<  on  monos  vestiuios  por  fedo-:  os  riiiclios,  cerrcLTOs  e  veTtcntcs  das  iiion- 
laiiiiiis,  (jiie  Ibiinao  as  costuuciras  da  surni  grunde,  dcsde  a  Tuuoiihii  ate  C'ari- 


472 


GKOLOGY   AND   I'llVSICAL   GKOGHAl'IIY. 


giulo  from  Missilo-VcUia  to  LavruH.  Tn  nil  tla'so  places  tin 
gold  occurs  in  grains  or  powder  in  sands,  gravels,  or  clays ;  its 
source  is  not  known. 

Copiicr.    Said  to  occur  in  the  Serra  (Jrando  and  elsewhere. 

Zinc.  Sao  I'etlro,  near  the  Serra  da  Maosinha,  Tei-nio  de  Milagros 
"Dr.  Thebergc  says  that  he  encountered  near  Milagres  a  lariri' 
quantity  of  hlende  (sulphide  of  zinc),  so  abundant  that  in  wx- 
tain  localities  it  was  only  necessary  to  burn  a  clearing  to  ivdua 
the  metal,  which  ran  into  the  hollows,  where  pounds  in  wciLfht 
were  collected."   (I'onipeo.) 

GaleiHi.    Ipi'i,  t^)ui.\eraniobim, 

Miibjliddte  of  Li'dd.  (Capanema.)  Near  Villa  Xova. 

Snipliiife  of  Aiifimoiii/.    (Capanenia.)    Near  Villa  Nova. 

G'r<(j>hite.    Baturite,  Quixcraniobini,  S:c. 

Sjiecitl((r  Iron.  Cangati.  Iron  ore  occurs  in  many  localities  in  the 
province. 

In  the  Coinjifrs  Jiejidits,  Tome  T)""",  p.  211,  I  find  a  statement 
that  on  the  1  1th  of  December,  IS'-W,  a  largo  meteor  passed  over 
Ccara  and  exploded  over  the  village  of  Macao,  at  the  entraticc  of 
the  river  Assii,  showering  down  over  a  large  tract  of  country  fniL'- 
ments  of  stone,  many  of  which  penetrated  houses  and  desti'dvod 
cattle.  One  of  these  fragments  was  seat  by  M.  F.  Ijerthou  at 
Paris  for  analysis. 


ris,  com  ])!irtic'ulafi(l,i(lc  nas  vortcntcs  do  Siilfrado,  Acaracil  c  Jairuaril)!',  no 
Iiiliitinuus,  IJanaljiiiliii,  (inixorainobim,  c  calmceiras  de  Jure.  Em  to<l,is  I'ssus 
verteutcs  e  terrenos  visiiilios  basta  lavar  a  terra  que  sc  uilia  dcbaixo  du  i^bcalho 
para  ])iiitar  o  oiiro." 


TROVINCK   OF    I'lAlliY. 


473 


CHAPTER   XIY. 


PROVINCE   OF   I'lAlIIY. 


localities  in  tlic 


Gcofrrnpliicnl  Position,  Limits,  &e.,  of  the  Province.  — The  Rio  Ptirnahyba  nml 
its 'rriliiitarius  — l)L'scii|itii)ii  of  its  IJasin.  —  (icnenil  (Joolojiical  Stnu'tmr 
ami  ToiiOf^rapliy  of  tlic  Province.  — TaMc-toiipcd  Hills  of  Sandstone.  — 'I'lic 
Scrra  dos  Dous  Irinaos  and  its  Stnictnrc.  —  Discussion  of  (iardncr's  ( >liscr- 
vuiions  on  tlic  tJeolo^'^y  of  Piauiiy  and  C'cani.  — (iardiicr  mistaken  in  refer- 
liii;;  the  {,n'eat  Sandstone  Sheet  to  the  Cretaceons.  —  Sandstones  ])rolialily 
Tiriiarv.  —  Their  }j;rent  Kxten.sion  over  Brazil.  —  Distrilmtiori  of  the  Creta- 
ceous Hcds  in  Brazil.  —  riiniate  of  Pianhy.  —  The  Campos  Mimosos  and  the 
Campos  Anresfos.  — Peculiarities  of  their  Ve<^etatioa.  — Prodnciious  of  the 
Province,  Population,  &c. 

The  province  of  Pinuliy  forms  a  rntlior  lonir  and  irrofrtilar 
strip  lyinji:  Avost  of  the  jn-oviiice  of  Coara,  autl  to  tlio  iiortli- 
wcst  of  Pornaml)Uco  and  I>iiliia.  Its  area  is  about  0(iiial 
to  tiiat  of  Baliia,  and  it  embraces  all  the  conntry  watered 
liy  tlic  trilmtai'ies  of  the  Parnahyba  on  tlie  eastoin  side. 

Tliis  river  takes  its  rise  in  thi;  Serra  da  Tabatiiiira  in 
Oova/,,  nearly  on  the  same  ))arallel  as  that  on  which  the 
nimith  of  the  Rio  de  Sao  Francisco  is  sitnated,  and  in  the 
aimio  formed  by  the  nnion  of  the  two  hydrou'raphical  l)asins 
of  tlic  Tocantins  and  Sao  Francisco.  Its  conrse  is  a])prox- 
imatcly  north-northeast;  and  Pompdo  gives  its  hnioth  as 
o80  leaii'nes,  which  appears  to  me  to  be  altoo-ether  too  high 
an  estimate.  The  same  author  says  that  it  is  naviuable  for 
a  distance  of  2G0  leagues.  It  has,  according  to  Pomji^so,  six 
months,  Imt  I  cannot  learn  whether  it  has  a  regular  delta. 

On  the  west  side,  in  its  very  ujijicr  course,  a  few  small 


474 


GEOLOGY   AND   niYSICAL   GKOGRAPIIY. 


streams,  namely,  the  lialsas,  Balsiiihas,  reiiiteiite,  t^'C  uiiitc, 
and  with  one  or  two  other  little  rivers  enter  the  main  stiomn. 
but  for  the  remainder  of  the  distance  to  the  sea  the  I'ar- 
nahyba  flows  so  close  to  the  western  rim  of  the  liydid- 
graphical  basin  that  it  does  not  receive  another  arihient  nf 
imj)or(ance  from  that  side.  On  the  cast,  however,  it  ic- 
ceives  a  host  of  little  rivers  which  take  their  rise  in  tli  • 
k^erra  dos  Dons  Irmaos  and  its  continuation  the  Seiiii  da 
Ybiapaba.  ^Most  imjmrtant  among  these  is  the  fliiiuiuia. 
which  drains  the  extensive  lake  of  Paranaguii,*  (lie  Ca- 
ninde,  and  the  Poty. 

The  Kio  Parnahyba  is  a  white-water  stream,  flowini)-  Inr 
the  most  of  its  course  through  level,  more  or  less  swaiiijiv 
lands,  grown  uj)  with  thick  bushes  and  groves  of  cni'iinliiilm 
and  piassaba  palms.  It  is  without  oltstructions,  and  iia\iLi  i- 
ble  for  a  great  distance. 

The  basin  of  the  Parnahyba  is  a  one-sided  on(>.  the  diniii- 
agc  being  towards  the  east. 

As  the  little  coast  streams  east  of  the  Parnahyba  nic  rdin- 
priscd  within  the  limits  of  the  i)rovince  of  Coara,  Piaiiliy 
has  a  coast  line  of  only  al)Out  twenty  miles,  cxteiidini; 
from  the  mouth  of  the  Parnahyl)a  to  the  P.arra  dn  l-iui- 
rassu.  The  base  of  the  country  consists  in  the  south  an  i 
southeast,  at  least,  of  gneiss  and  other  metamorpliic  nuk>, 
much  inclined,  but  the  greater  part  of  the  counti-y  is  ov  r- 
sprcad  I)y  a  thick  sheet  of  sandstone  in  hoii/.ontal  strata. 
extending  southward  to  the  edge  of  the  liasin. 

This  sheet  of  sandstone  has  been  verv  extensivelv  wein 
away  by  the  rivers,  and  between  them  are  isolat(Ml  taMr- 
topped  hills  or  extensive  ehajiadas.      Such   is  the  ( liaiacter 

*  TIic  same  nniiie  is  np|ilicil  to  the  bay  on  wliicli  tlii'  jirincipal  Sfaport  ol'ttio 
province  of  raraiui  is  built. 


PROYI^'CE    OF    I'lAUIIV. 


475 


no.  tlio  (Irniii- 


jal  scaiiort  oC  tlio 


111' the  country  in  the  vicuiity  of  Oeiras,  wlicrc  the  sau<lst(»ne 
i-  of  a  re(hlish  tint,  anil  is  sometimes  exi)osed  in  |K'r|HMi- 
(licuhir  cUrfs,  The  Ari'aial  de  Sao  Gonrah.)  is  situated  at 
the  foot  of  one  oi"  these  sandstone  hills,  whie-h  is  lour  hun- 
dred ieet  high.*  The  Serra  da  Topa  is  another  sandstone 
iiiiiuntain,  the  rocks  being  of  a  white  or  i)ale  red  color  and 
ilisposed  in  terraces,  the  top  being  perfectly  Hat. 

These  sandstones  lie  on  a  basis  of  metamorphic  strata, 
whii'h  has  a  gentle  slope  northward  or  northeastwanl,  and 
just  south  of  the  Lake  Paranagua  they  lap  up  ovei'  these  older 
links,  abutting  against  the  Scrra  dos  Dous  Irniaos,  r(>aching, 
iii'coiding  to  Mr.  St.  John,  a  level  of  about  I.-VIO  feet. 
Westward  they  rise  toward  the  so-called  Scrra  de  Ybiapal»a. 
The  (piestion  now  is,  whether  they  tie  in  with  the  sandstones 
ef  the  Ybiaiiaba,  and  of  the  rha[)adao  da  ^langabeira,  or 
whether  they  are  newer  than  the  sandstones  of  ,l;icol)iiui 
ami  the  Sao  Fraucisco-Tocantins  divide.  From  all  that  1 
have  been  able  to  learn  1  thiidc  that  they  will  ■  founil  to 
I'oriii  part  of  the  great  sandstone  sheet  of  Minas,  Cloyaz, 
(Vc,  and  that  the  table-topped  hills  of  IMatihy  will  be  foimd 
til  lie  the  exact  e(iuivalents  of  those  of  Santarem,  ^lonte 
.\l('i:i'e,  A'C.  The  clays  and  sandstones  of  thi'  lower  grounds 
Imnlefing  the  coast  would  seem  to  belong  to  the  same  series 
as  those  of  the  vicinity  of  Para. 

The  water-shed  between  the  hydrographical  basins  of  the 
>au  Francisco  ami  the  Parnahyl)a  is,  according  to  the  testi- 
iiiDiiy  of  Spix  and  Martins,  (Jardner,  and  other  travelh-rs,  a 
luw,  very  gentle  swellirg,  comj^sed  of  gneiss,  nuca-schist, 
uud  other  similar  rocks,  all  more  or  less  disturbed  and 
vKiuided  down  very  evenly,  as  is  the  case  with  the  simihir 
Miala  forming  the  divide  between  the  Sao   Franejsco  vid- 

*  Alcidc  (I'Ortiiirny,  ]'<)!/(tge  PiUuresqin',  14'.i. 


476 


GEOLOGY   AND  PHYSICAL   GKOGKAl'IIY. 


■:(, 


ley  and  that  of  the  Parafiuassi'i,  and  willi  a  gentle  slope  hoili 
to  the  cast  and  west.  This  gneiss  ridge  is  ahoiit  l,:io()  i;  ,1 
in  height  where  the  road  IVuni  Oeiras  to  Joa/.eiro  crosses  it. 

(Jardner,  in  describing  the  jonrney  from  Paranagiui,  acios- 
the  -water-shed,  sonthwai'd  into  the  jtnjvince  of  P''iii;iiii- 
buco,  says  that,  shortly  after  having  passed  the  houndaiv  dl 
the  i)rovincc  of  I'iauhy,  an  elevated  table-land  is  r<  arlici 
called  the  8erra  da  JJatalha,  which  he  desci'ibes  as  Ixin- 
covered  on  its  sloi)es  with  huge  blocks  of  sandstone,  (j|'  wliidi 
he  snpj)osed  the  serra  to  be  composed.  Two  otlier  .s(ii;i> 
of  the  same  character  lie  to  the  south,  and  (Jarihiej- supjinsi^ 
them  all  to  f'M-m  part  of  one  great  range. 

Padre  Cazal,  in  his  Corog-r<qili'ui^  says  that  in  some  |iiirts 
the  serra  dividing  Pernambuco  from  Piauhy  has  two  or  tluvc 
leagues  of  chapada  on  top. 

From  Mr.  St.  John's  observations  it  would  appear  1h;it  in 
some  places  tlu^  sandstones  are  completely  removed,  as  is 
the  case  in  JJahia  also. 

That  the  Serra  dos  Dons  Trmaos  should  have  its  ca|t|iiir:' 
of  sandstone  is  not  wonderful,  Avhen  we  find  the  Scini  da 
Ybiapal)a  so  cap])e(l  to  a  height  of  over  two  thousaml  fret. 
and  when  o\\  the  highest  land  on  the  Sao  Fi'ancisco-Paia- 
guassu  divide  we  find  patches  of  the  same  rock,  fi)nuiiii:  ;i 
series  of  (.■haj)adas  traceable  southward,  and  tying  in  witl. 
the  chapadas  of  the  I'ardo  and  .Jeijuitinhonha  valleys. 

The  age  of  the  sandstones  of  the  Serra  da  Yliiajiaba  ami 
tlic  Serra  de  Ararijic,  and  also  of  the  great  sand'^tone  >li<'t't 
covering  so  large  an  area  in  the  ]»rovincc  of  Piauhy.  reiuaiiis 
to  he  determined.  Gardner  has  called  them  all  cretaceous. 
Let  us  examine  upon  what  grounds  he  has  liasod  his  cini- 
clusion.  The  whole  mattc«r  turns  ujion  the  i-elation  ilf 
iish-bed  bears  to  the  strata  composing  the  serra.     He  mivs 


PROVINCE   OF   I'lAUIIY. 


4 


I  t 


ill  liis  "Travels"  (p.  202)  that  "the  place  where  these  [fish] 
were  found  was  on  the  slope  of  a  low  hill  aliout  a  mile  from 
ilie  serra,"  and  that  the  specimens  all  come  from  loose 
nuusses,  ronnded,  as  he  erroneously  su]»i)Osed,  by  the  action 
of  water,  and  scattered  over  a  very  limited  surface.  IIo 
conse(piently  did  not  sec  them  in  jtlacc.  Owing  to  his  find- 
in-:  in  the  immediate  vicinity  })ieces  of  sandstone  *  like 
that  which  form  the  serra,  he  arrived  at  the  conclusion  that 
the  fishes  come  from  the  sandstone,  and  that  because  the 
lislies  were  cretaceous,  therefore  the  serra,  and  not  only  the 
sei'ia,  hut  all  the  great  extension  of  sandstones  coveiing  the 
noitheastern  shoulder  of  Brazil,  must  l)e  cretaceous  also,  and 
he  even  went  so  far  as  to  divide  these  rocks  into  a  scries  of 
groups,  referring  them  to  Euroj)ean  horizons. 

The  fishes  do  not  occur  in  rolled  masses,  as  Gardner 
>:ays,  but  in  concretions,  as  Mr.  J]ov>-man  has  remarked  in  a 
note  to  Gardner's  ])aper,  and  as  I  can  also  testify  after  an 
examination  of  specimens  in  my  own  collections.  The 
oecurrence  of  these  concretions  on  a  surface  miassociated 
with  other  rock  would  lead  one  to  suspect  that  they  had 
weathered  out  of  some  softer  rock,  and  this  is  confirmed  by 
a  statement  made  by  Pompeo,  on  the  authority  of  Dr.  'i'he- 
heriie,that  the  fossils  are  found  in  "  an  extremely  sticky  clay." 
Theberge  says  that  they  cither  occur  in  this  Avay  or  at  the 
liottonis  of  deep  valleys  in  brooks  whose  bed  is  a  schistose 
limestone,  so  that  wc  have  no  evidence  whatever  that  these 
fossils  occur  in  the  sandstones  of  the  serra ;  on  the  contiary, 
they  occur  in  a  band  of  rocks  lying  well  l)el()W  the  sand- 
s'tonos,  and  l)ared  in  the  valleys  l)y  the  denudation  of  the 
sandstones,  so  that  we  may  safely  conclude  that  they  are 

*  In  liis  pajx^r  in  the  Phil.  Trans.,  Gardner  says  that  these  were  little 
rounded  sandstones.     In  his  Travels  he  speaks  of  them  as  rounded  llorks. 


478 


GEOLOGY   AND   rilYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


older  than  tlic  sandstones.*  Gardner  was  misled,  in  tlif 
first  ]»laee,  into  the  belief  that  the  sandstones  wei-e  creta- 
ceous from  fmding  rocks  having  some  resemblance  to  Hint. 
and  by  mistaking  for  chalk  a  white  tal)atinga  clay  on  tlic 
to]»  (jf  the  serra,  dug  by  the  inhabitants  for  use  in  white- 
Avashing.  That  the  cretaceous  rocks  form  an  extensive  seiios 
underlying  the  sandstones  is  vciy  probaiile,  l)ecansc  Gardiiir 
speaks  of  a  mnnber  of  localities,  all  of  which  he  desci-jlics 
as  being  situated  on  the  declivities  of  low  hills  skirting  tlu' 
base  of  the  seri-a.  On  the  west  side  of  the  Serra  da  Ybiapaha 
he  found  a  similar  dejxjsit  of  fossil  fishes,  which  would  Ica.l 
one  to  suppose  that  this  serra  was  also  underlaid  Iiy  the 
same  de|)osit. 

Gardner,  in  his  "Travels,"  says  that  the  series  of  creta- 
ceous rocks  in  Ceara  and  Piauhy  forming  the  serras,  Ac. 
consists  in  descending  order  of — 

1.  AVhite  chalk  with  Hints  exposed  in  pits,  and  partially 
overlaid  by  red  diluvial  clay. 

2.  Sandstone  with  ichthyolites,  equivalent  to  the  English 
upper  green  sand. 

8.  A  series  of  marls,  soft  and  compact  limestones,  and 
lignite,  e(|uivalent  to  the  Engli.sli  gault. 

4.  A  ferruginous  sandstone  deposit,  ecjuivalent  to  tlio 
lower  green  sand  or  Shanklin  sands. 

Now,  of  this  series,  the  white  "chalk"  is  a  Tabatinna 
clay.  There  is  no  evidence  that  it  contains  flints,  and 
he  himself  says  that  he  found  none  in  any  of  the  "chalk- 
pits" he  examined.  In  the  second  ])lace,  there  is  no  evi- 
dence that  the  fossil  fishes  occur  in  the  sand.stones,  and  if 

*  In  a  ]i!i]H'r  read  at  the  Salem  iiuTtiui,'  of  tlic  American  Association,  I  ven- 
tured to  state  my  strmiy:  suspicion  tiiat  the  l)eils  affordinf,'  the  fislics  wnM  turn 
out  to  lie  distnrlied  and  inclined,  like  the  other  cretaeean  beds  in  Eastern  ]?iM/ii, 
wlicu  I'rot'essor  Agassiz  remarked  that  this  Iiud  been  rejiorted  by  Dr.  Coutiulic 


PROVINCE   OF    riAUHY. 


479 


tlicy  did  tlicy  would  not  prove  the  deposit  to  be  upper  pveii 
^;iiid,  since  Professor  Agassiz  lias  called  attention  to  tlie 
iTseniblance  borne  by  Aspidor/z^nr/ins  Comjitoni  and  Lc/ti- 
(Ih/ks  tcmnurus  to  allied  species  of  the  chalk  of  Kent.  So 
far  as  the  third  and  fourth  series  arc  concerned,  tlardner 
fDiiiid  no  fossils  in  them,  and  their  cretaceous  age  is  un- 
pinved.  Toinpeo,  with  Capanenia  most  proliably  as  author- 
ity, gives  the  followiug  as  the  succession  of  rocks  in  the 
sei  ra  of  Arari|)C  :  — 

Tlie  ui^pcrmost  beds,  A,  consist  of  beds  of  Psninrnifo, 
sandstone  of  a  reddish  color,  with  bluish,  sometimes  black 
iiodides.  liC'low  these  conies  a  bed,  1>,  of  an  cxcccdinii'lv 
foliated  limestone,  under  which  lies  a  bed,  C,  of  black 
clay  CO,  (Taua),  with  layers,  a  ])alm  in  thickness,  of  a 
liluish  and  very  hard  sandstone,  containing  veins  of  j)yrites 
and  galena  (?),  or  with  a  very  bituminous  schist  containing 
the  same  sulphides  and  sjtherieal  nodules.  This  is  in  tuin 
underlaid  by  a  scries  of  sandstones,  T),  less  argillaceous  in 
cliai-acter.  In  a  sandstone  similar  to  this  occurring  at  St. 
Piilio,  Dr.  Gon^alves  Dias  found  fossil  wood. 

Of  this  scries,  A  corresponds  to  Xo.  2*  of  Oardncr's 
scries,  1>  and  C  to  Xo.  3,  while  the  lowest  sandstones  of  his 
f^iTJes  may  or  may  not  correspond  to  D. 

hotli  of  the  above  sections  aj)pear  to  have  been  made  in 
tlio  Serra  de  Ararijie,  near  Crato.  Gardner  says  he  saw  no 
linu'stone  in  situ  at  Jardim. 

That  these  horizontal  strata,  and  especially  the  sand- 
t^tdiies,  have  anciently  had  an  innncnse  extension  over  the 
surfnce  of  Ceara  there  cannot  be  the  least  doul)t,  as  Dr. 
f'aiiaiiema    has    remarked,   for    the   sandstones    are   often 

*  fiiinltuT  mimbcrs  the  buds  from  below  ui)wiirds  ;  accordingly  this  would 
i-oriL's]ioiid  to  his  No.  3. 


480 


GEOLOGY   AND   I'lIVSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


found  capping  isolated  hills,  at  a  long  distance  from  tlie 
scrra.  Indeed,  there  seems  every  reason  to  l)elieve  that  tlio 
])r(tvinces  of  Ceard  and  Fianhy  were  covered  with  it  o\tii 
beyond  the  coast  line.  It  has  been  swept  away  very  laiuvly 
from  the  coast  and  the  basin  of  the  .lagiiaribe  almost  to 
Crato. 

The  upper  part  of  the  Scrra  da  Yl)iai)aba  for  ai)|)ai(  utly 
its  whole  length  is  comj)osed  of  the  sandstone,  and  the 
plateau  of  Apodi  seems  to  l)e  formed  in  part  of  it.  h  is 
true  that  where  Spix  an<l  Martins  crossed  the  Scrra  dds 
Dous  Irniitos  they  found,  up  to  the  highest  point  of  the 
jiass,  l,*2o0  feet,  only  nietamorjthic  rocks;  l»ut  they  fouiiil 
overlying  these  rocks  thick  beds  of  laminated  clay  (^sc/iirfrr- 
f/ion),  and  they  report  the  Serra  da  Topa  as  comjioscd  nf 
Qxadcrsandsfcin.  Mr.  St.  John  did  not  meet  with  thf 
sandstones,  but  Gardner  did  in  crossing  the  Sena  da 
Batalha,  and  he  descril)es  the  top  as  a  flat  chapada.  The 
Chapada  de  Sta.  Maria,  lying  Ix-twcen  the  Sao  Francisco 
and  the  eastern  branch  of  the  Tocantins,  is  another  dead- 
level  table-land  composed  of  sandstone,  south  of  which 
comes  the  great  Chapadao  de  Urucuia,  evidently  only  the 
prolongation  of  the  Chapadao  de  Sta.  Maria.  On  the  oii|m> 
site  or  southern  side  of  the  valley  of  the  Urucuia  we  see 
the  chapadas  once  more. 

In  the  southern  part  of  ]\rinas,  as  already  remarked,  tliofc 
arc  the  chapadas  between  Tiundiy  and  Passos  on  the  Ki" 
Grande,  east  of  which  is  the  immense  Chajtadao  de  Taha- 
tiiiira,  some  two  Inmdred  miles  in  lensrth,  between  the  two 
l)ranches  of  the  Parand,  the  Paranahyba,  and  Rio  Ciaiide. 
Then  we  have  the  elevated  plains  of  the  j)rovinces  of  >ao 
Paulo  and  Paranii,  composed  in  great  part  of  argillaccmis 
sandstones.     The  valley  of  the  Sao  Francisco  to  the  Caciio- 


PROVIN'CF,   OF   I'lArilY. 


4Sl 


cira  dc  Paulo  AfTonso  is  filled  with  horizontal  dojiosits, calca- 
reous iu  the  upper  part  (jf  the  valley,  silicious  and  calcareous 
ill  the  lower  j)art.  East  of  the  valley  of  the  Sao  .Francisco 
we  find  the  hills  of  the  water-shed  between  the  Siio  Francisco 
liasin  and  the  streams  ilowing  eastward  into  the  Atlantic 
e;ii»ped  here  and  tlicre  with  horizontal  dejjosits,  worn  away  on 
every  side;  the  basins  of  the  Rios  Pardo  and  Je(|uitinhonha 
iue  iiMed  with  these  beds,  and  eveiy where  they  rise  to  a  very 
unirorni  height  over  the  country,  —  a  height  of  2,000  to  8,000 
fuct  above  the  sea.  Westward  we  know  that  an  inunense 
tract  of  country  in  the  province  of  Matto  Grosso  and  the 
Ainazonas  is  covered  in  like  manner  with  .similar  deposits. 
All  these  facts  sj)eak  of  a  very  uniform  sul)mergence  of  the 
whole  country  to  a  depth  of  at  least  2,000  or  8,000  feet 
liclow  the  present  sea  level,  during  which  the  valh'ys  were 
tilled  u])  with  beds  of  clays,  sandstones  more  ov  less  ai'gil- 
hiccous,  limcstimes,  ttc,  to  a  greater  or  less  heiglit.  These 
deposits  apjx'a.  in  great  part  to  have  been  rajjidly  formed 
ill  the  bottom  of  a  muddy  sea,  the  material  being  derived 
froni  the  decomposed  rock  crust  covering  the  country. 

The  fossil  fishes,  according  to  Agassiz,  rescmlde  those 
of  the  European  seiionien,  so  that  if  the  sandstones  are 
cretaceous  they  must  belong  to  the  veiT  ujipermost  di- 
vision of  that  formati(^n.  We  have  seen  how  this  same 
trivat  formation  extends  over  almost  the  whole  Emjiirc,  but 
nowhere  that  1  have  heard  of  allfording  a  single  fossil.  Put 
on  the  coast  outside  the  edge  of  the  plateau,  lying  on 
the  extension  of  the  gneiss  basis,  we  have,  beginning  at  the 
Alirolhos  and  extending  northward  through  Pahia,  Sergipe, 
l^'inambuco,  and  Parahvba,  a  u-reat  series  of  cretaceous 
I'ueks  jjclonging  to  ditfercnt  epochs  in  that  period.  Wher- 
ever I  have  seen   them  they  are  always  disturbed,  while 

VOL.    !.  81  EK 


482 


GKOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


they  moreover  Ibnu  border  deposits  abruptly  abuttinu-  the 
edge  of  the  plateau,  showing-  that  the  plateau  was  out  df 
water  when  they  were  deposited.  These  cretaceous  licils 
are  compact  sandstones,  shales,  limestones,  conglonicr- 
ates,  A:c. 

The  beds  of  the  great  sandstone  formation  approach  the 
coast  in  very  many  jjlaces,  as  on  the  Rio  de  ISao  FraneiscD, 
whci'c  they  make  their  appearance  near  the  Cachoeira  de 
Paulo  Alfonso.  But  they  arc  everywhere  horizontal,  and  aio 
nowhere  disturbed  by  the  foldings  which  tilted  the  licds  of 
the  cretaceous  a  few  leagues  to  the  east.  Uut  the  cretacrdus 
beds  of  the  coast  are  overlaid  by  a  series  of  clays,  sandstones, 
(fee,  which,  though  strictly  a  coast  formation,  Ijcars  in  litliu- 
logical  character  a  very  close  resemblance  to  the  great  sand- 
stone sheet  of  the  interior.  This  latter,  which  is  overlaiil  liy 
the  drift  I  have  referred,  as  already  stated  elsewliero,  to  tin.' 
tertiary;  but  this  coast  formation  is,  I  think,  without  doulit, 
younger  than  the  similar  formation  of  the  interior,  so  that 
the  latter  must  be  either  upper  cretaceous  or  tertiary,  and 
I  nuist  give  it  as  my  (h-m  conviction  that  it  will  be  foiuid 
to  be  the  latter. 

As  to  the  occurrence  of  drift  in  the  province  of  Piauliy, 
I  have  no  information  whatever. 

I  know  of  no  workable  mines,  though  gold  is  said  to  occur 
at  Olho  d'Agua,  near  Oeiras. 

The  climate  of  Piauhy  is  hot  and,  according  to  Poiiiin-'o, 
rather  damji.  It  is  apt  to  be  very  prejudicial  to  foreigniM.s, 
esiiecially  in  the  low  gi'ounds  along  the  baidcs  of  the  Par- 
nahyba,  Poty,  and  other  streams,  where  intermittent  fevers 
are  [irevalent. 

The  inhabitants  make  a  distinction  between  the  vciivtn- 
tion  of  the  eastern  part  of  the  province  and  the  central  and 


I'ROVLNCE   OF   I'lAUIIY. 


483 


'Aostcrn  ]iart.  Tliat  of  the  former  rctrion  is  called  mimom, 
anil  is  clmnictcrized  l»y  cutiiiga  I'orcsts,  wink'  its  jilauts  arc 
riirnishcd  with  an  abundance  of  hairs  and  iiricUles,  still" 
leaves,  small  flowers,  a  very  tender  ^'orc,  and  very  often  a 
milky  juice.  (Jardner  says  that  the  grasses  of  the  minioso 
jiiisturcs  are  annuals,  their  color  is  a  hriuiiter  green,  and 
they  have  more  {diant  leaves  than  those  of  the  agrestes. 
S|iix  and  Martins  give  a  long  list  of  grasses  which  ai'C 
characteristic  of  the  eanipos  niimosos. 

'I'he  canipos  agrestes  of  Lower  Piauhy  consist  in  part  of 
woods,  in  part  of  quite  open  jjlains.  The  trees  are,  accord- 
ing to  Gardner,  almost  all  deciduous,  and  many  are  giuirled 
and  stunted.  S\vam])S  are  not  infreijuent  and  suj)i)(jrt 
cluuips  of  Buriti  ))alms.  The  grasses  of  the  open  plains 
are  coarse  and  perennial. 

Tlic  rains  begin  in  Octol)cr  and  last  until  April,  heavy 
thunder-storms  prevailing  during  that  season. 

The  })rincipal  industry  of  the  province  consists  in  the 
raising  of  cattle,  and  agriculture  is  pursued  only  to  a  small 
extent. 

The  population  amounts  to  about  250,000,  of  whom  about 
30.000  are  slaves.  The  capital  is  Theresina,  which  has 
aliout  6,000  inhal)itants.  The  other  cities  are  Oeiras  and 
Painahyba.     The  latter  is  i)articularly  unhealthy. 


484 


CEULOGY   AND   I'HYSICAL   GEOGRArilY. 


CHAPTER  XY 


THE   PROVINCES   OF   MARANIIAO,   PARA,   AND  AMAZONAS.* 

.Sandstonus  of  tlic  Coast  of  Maraiiliilo.  —  The  Interior  composed  of  Metaninriilik 
Hocks.  —  (  Id-Mines  of  Turi  and  Maracassuine.  —  CiinuUe  of  the  I'roviiur 
—  Wains  'cs  of  Maranliuo,   Caxias,  &c.  —  Turoroca  or  Hurc  ;it  thr 

Montli  c:  .ivcr  Mcarim. —  Professor  A;,'assi/'s  Hketdi  of  tlio  (jic()l(i;;y, 

of  tile  Amazonian  Valley.  —  His  Theory  of  the  Mode  of  l)e))os''i()n  of  tin 
Amazonian  lU'ils.  —  Di^cllssiou  of  this  (^"cstion.  —  Cretaceous  Kocks  in  tU 
Amazonian  Valley. 

The  coast  of  the  Province  of  ^laraiihao  is  low  and  flat. 
and  consists  of  a  tei'tiaiy  feiTutiinous  sandstone  pus.sinn 
into  con<ilomerate,  and  overlaid,  as  in  the  vicinity  of  tin.' 
j)ort  of  Maranhao,  by  a  series  of  sandstones  and  clay.s. 
Gardner,  apparently  on  the  principle  that  all  sandstones 
mnst  he  cretaceons,  refers  this  series  to  that  format ioii, 
while  Spix  and  Martins,  as  usnal,  call  the  rock  Qiuidrr- 
satuhtvin.  The  sandstones  and  associated  rocks  foriu  a 
line  of  hi^h  red  clitfs  along  the  shore  of  the  island  on 
which  Maranhao  is  hnilt,  jnst  north  of  the  city,  east  ol' 
jMiint  Sao  Marcos,  On  the  mainland  west  of  the  channel  a 
similar  line  of  clilfs  stretches  from  the  village  of  Alcantara 
to  the  cnrions  landmark,  Monnt  Itacolnmi.  The  same  rocks 
extend  far  np  the  valley  of  the  ltai>icnru,  on  the  hanks  of 

*  That  this  name  was  ^nven  in  commemoration  of  the  supposed  xr\\»'  "t 
female  warriors  described  by  Orellana  there  ennnot  be  the  sli^rhtest  doiilit. 
The  attempt  to  derive  it  from  atnassoiKi,  a  word  not  to  l)e  fouiul  in  the  Pnrtii- 
piiese  dictionary,  falls  into  tlie  same  cate;rory  as  the  derivation  of  .l/anni/omtVnin 
VKir  oil  )i(lt> ?  or  Alcramhr  the  (ireat  iwm  all  e(fffs  under  the  rjvate !  It  is  not  tlic 
Kio  Amazonas,  but  the  I?io  das  Amazonas,  the  river  of  the  Amazons. 


PROVINCES   OF   MARANIIAO,   PARA,   AND   AMAZONAS.       485 


LMAZOXAS.* 


^\liic.']i  at  Manjruc  Alto  thoy  were  observed  liy  Spix  ami  Mai- 
tiiis  to  lie  on  granite  containing  pistacite,  and  at  Cacliocira 
tills  rock  passed  into  a  syenitic  f'urni. 

Mr.  St.  John,  who  descended  the  Itai)ienru  and  made 
a  considerable  stay  at  Maranhao,  will  doubtless,  in  his  re- 
port on  the  geology  of  the  country,  furnish  us  with  valua- 
lile  information  concerning  the  character  and  extent  of  the 
s^aiidstone  dej)osits. 

hi  the  south  and  west  the  countrv  is  hitiher.  more  \m- 

Kjual,  and  very  largely  composed  of  ancient  metamorphic 

rucks. 

(!old  occurs  in  the  province,  and  is  or  has  been  worked 
liv  a  mining  company;  but  1  have  been  unable  to  obtain 
facts  bearing  upon  the  nature  of  the  deposits  or  their  yield. 
The  two  i)rinci[)al  mines  are  those  of  Turi  and  Mara- 
cassnm(3. 

The  climate  of  !MaranluTo,  —  situated  as  the  country  is  on 
the  edge  of  the  great  Amazonian  valley,  of  wliicli  we  are  told 
liy  Professor  Agassiz  it  anciently  formed  a  part, —  lias  the 
same  general  character  as  that  which  i)rcvails  on  the  Ama- 
zoiias,  being  hot  and  damp;  the  greatest  heat  is  about  :il° 
Cent.,  07.8°  Fahr.,  and  the  lowest  21°  Cent.,  (50.8°  Fahr. 
(Pom)>oo.)  "The  rains  begin  with  great  regularity  at  the 
ciiil  of  December,  although  from  October  on  showers  occur, 
commonly  called  the  cimvas  de  caju  [the  cashew-rains]. 
The  rains  are  very  abundant,  and  acccmipanied  by  much 
thiiiKJer  and  lightning,  becoming  more  fretpient  and  heavy 
in  May,  the  end  of  the  winter  season."  *  From  June  to 
becomber  the  winds  called  reutos  g-eracs  blow  steadily  from 
the  northeast  or  east-northenst  during  the  day,  and  during 
the  night-time  fronj  the  east. 


*  I'oniiieo,  (j'coi/rcijiliia,  p.  391. 


48G 


CKOLOGY   AKI)   niYSICAL   GEOCnAPHY. 


TliG  climate,  except  in  the  vicinity  t)f  the  I'uranaliylta 
River,  is  said  to  lie  (piito  liealtliy. 

A  <:iTeat  jiait  of  the  country  is  heavily  wooded  with  tlir 
virgin  forest,  Imt  in  the  interior  there  are  some  extensive 
campos  and  alluvial  flats  often  inundated  during  the  i;iiiiv 
season.  The  princi])al  jtroducts  of  the  country  consist  nt' 
rice  and  cotton,  although  a  little  coffee  is  phintefj.  \ 
large  nundier  of  cattle  are  raised. 

The  poj)idatioii  of  the  {jrovince  amounts  to  ahont  iliio.O'io 
inhaliitants. 

The  capital  is  Maranhrio,  a  l)eautifid  city  of  .^0,000  iuiuili- 
itants,  built  on  an  island  lying  oil'  the;  mouth  of  the  lf!i|pi- 
curu  IJiver.  iVlcantara  is  another  consicU'rahli^  town  s  i- 
uated  on  the  maiidand  opposite  the  cajtital,  and  in  the 
midst  of  a  region  noted  for  j)roducing  a  most  excellent 
quality  of  cotton. 

The  city  of  Caxias,  on  the  navigable  river  Itapicun'i, 
about  three  hundred  miles  from  Maraidiao,  is  a  large  town. 
the  centre  of  an  im})ortant  trade  with  the  interior,  ("aiu- 
lina,  on  the  Tocantins,  is  a  town  of  but  little  imj)ortan<'o. 


About  twelve  leagues  west  of  the  capital  of  the  provinec 
is  the  mouth  of  the  river  Mearim  or  Meary.  'J'his  river  li;is 
so  strong  a  current,  and  its  channel  is  so  shaped,  that  it  cmixs 
the  tide  to  enter  with  a  bore.  Cazal  says  that  the  river 
susi)ends  for  a  long  time  the  rise  of  the  tide,  then  it  conn'S 
in  Avith  great  fury,  rising  in  a  quarter  of  an  lujur  the  dis- 
tance it  had  taken  nearly  nine  hours  to  fall,  and  tlnii 
running  for  three  hours  Avith  the  rapidity  of  a  mill-race. f 

*  The  river  is  nnvi;,'atc(l  by  steam. 

t  Sjiciikiiig  of  tliis  river,  Cazal  says  :  "  Sea  alvo  he  profimdo,  e  larL'o  ;  i'  '^n^ 
corronte  tao  rajiida,  (jne  .siisjiende  a  eiichente  da  man-  ])or  iar;;<>  tt'iii]io  :  rc-nlt- 
audo  de.sta  ojijiusieao  oiidas  encaiielhidas,  ciianiadas  pormviun,  (jiic  (k'in'i>  do 


riJOVINCLS   OF   MAIIANIIAO,   I'AIiA,   AND   AMAZONAS.       4^7 


3   Puranalivl.a 


ibuut  890,0(11) 


It  will  1)0  rcmeiuhcrcd  lliut  a  siinilai*  iilicnoniciioii  Is  wit- 
m'>.si'd  at  the  inoiilh  of  the  Amazoiuis,  and  in  the  vieniify  of 
I'iira,  where,  as  in  Maranhao,  the  liore  is  calletl  pororoea. 

rrofessor  Aizassiz  has  treated  so  laruelv  of  the  |)hvsical 
L'CM^raphy  (jf  the  provinces  of  I'ara  and  Ania/.oiuis,  or  the 
Aiua/onia.  valley,  in  the  "Journey  in  IJra/il,"  that  it  is  not 
necessary  lor  nie  to  repeat  here  any  of  his  eonehisions ; 
liesides,  the  limits  of  this  vc^lume  lorUid  that  I  shouhl  at 
this  time  enter  ujjon  the  discussion  ol"  so  IVuitlul  a  sulject. 
I  shall  therefore  conllne  myself,  so  far  as  the  Ama/onas 
is  Cdueerued,  to  a  very  condensed  statement  of  Trofessor 
Auassiz's  views  with  reference  to  the  origin  and  strati- 
i;i'!ipliy  of  the  various  formations  which  occupy  the  Ama- 
i  iiiian  valley,  and  with  a  few  renuirks  thereujion  ;  this  si>ems 
nt'ci'ssary  in  order  to  complete  my  sketch  of  the  (Jeology  of 
Brazil.  In  the  Bidldhi  da  la  SociHe  Gcolofjique  de  France 
(2"""  Seric,  T.  2"),  p.  thSo)  is  a  short  article  on  the  (ileology 
nl'lho  Amazonian  valley,  by  Professor  Agassiz  and  Dr.  Cou- 
liiilio,  })resented  by  Professor  .Jules  ^hircou,  which  gives 
I'ldtrssor  Agassiz's  views  with  great  conciseness  and  clear- 
lu'ss ;  and  as  it  is  n(jt  accessible  to  general  readers,  I  have 
njiioduced  the  most  important  part  of  it  here,  together 
with  the  section  accompanying  it. 

Professor  Marcoii  says  :  — 

"  .^h•.  Agassiz  thinks  tliat  the  whole  valley  of  the  Amazonas  was 
firmed  at  tlie  end  of  tho  cretaceous  period,  wliiih  lias  left  traces 
of  deposits  ill  the  province  of  Cearii  and  on  the  Upper  Punis.    Here 

viiii'iiliis,  tudo  quanto  vazou  em  qiiazi  novo  lioras,  ciiclie  cm  mciios  (riuuu 
'jiiarti.;  Heaiido  a  mart' eaniiidiaii(l(j  para  eima  tres  lioras  coniidetas  cdiu  iima 
ra|iiilt'z  sciiielliantc  a  eallia  triiiiiii  moinlio.  I'<ste  t'eiioiiieno  ()ceui)a  o  espaeo  do 
tiiR'o  li';;nas  com  ;rraii(le  roi'do.  Ila  sitios,  deiioiiiiiiailos  M/ir'/v/s-,  omle  as  canoas 
i-|itrrn)  a  deciziio  do  combatc,  c  cuiuiiuiuo  a  viagcm  scm  jicriyo." —  Cor.  Biaz., 
T'Jiii.  II.  J).  -JGO. 


488 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


and  there,  whether  hy  demulations  or  hy  anterior  dislticatinns, 
cue  sees  more  ancient  rocks.  Thus  Major  Continho  has  iunvA 
pahcozoic  brachiopods  iu  a  rock  which  forms  the  first  cascade  .if  thf 
Ta])ajos  ;  carboniferous  fossils  have  been  collected  on  the  bauk.s  of 
the  rivers  Guapore  and  Mamoro,  in  ^hitto  Urosso  ;  and  Hually,  ut 
Manjlos,  Coutinho  has  recognized  slates  or  jt/ii/lldclex  in  a  ver\'  in- 
clined position,  and  beneath  the  formations  of  red  sandstone  t.i'  tlio 
Amazonian  valley," 

Professor  Agassiz  suiJixjsi'd  tluit  during  the  tertiary  tin 
Amazonian  region  was  above  water,  and  that  the  san(Utuin.'> 
and  elays  that  now  fill  it  are  drift. 

The  following  is  a  cojiy  of  the  ideal  seetiou  of  tlicsi-  latir 
deposits  by  Professoi-  Agassiz,  forming  a  Vtsumd  of  the  ult- 
servations  of  M.  Coutinho  and  himself:  — 

"  I.  Coarse  sands  {S<tlile  ijrosxicf)  forming  t!ie  base  of  tiie  tlril't 
throughout  where  the  level  of  the  water  has  uncovered  the  lnwcr 
beds  of  plastic  clays. 

"  II.  The  streaked  plastic  clay  (An/i/c p/a.^fh/ur  Jiij/arrci)  shows 
itself  ^  a  a  large  scale  along  the  sea-coast  at  Parii,  at  the  Islaml  of 
!Marajo,  Maranhilo,  and  hero  and  there  in  tl'C  hollows  along  tlio 
course  of  the  Amazonas. 

"III.  Foliated  day  in  very  thin  beds,  with  frequent  indications 
of  cleavage.  This  deposit  appears  to  be  more  consideralile  in  tlii' 
banks  along  the  course  of  the  Kio  Soliinocs  than  in  tlie  lower  part 
of  the  Amazonas.  It  is  in  the  :  beds  at  Tonantins,  on  tin'  liio 
Solimoes,  that  M.  Agassiz  has  found  leaves  of  dicoty1eil"iii'US 
]»lants,  which  appear  to  bo  identical  with  species  at  present  living 
in  the  valley  of  the  Amazons.* 

*  Tlicse  leaves  ocour  in  n  fine,  soft  pray  cl.ay,  rcsemMiiifr  ^■Cl•y  clixoly  the 
recent  all-ivinl  clays  of  tlie  Rra/.ilian  rivers.  They  are  excellently  pn-crviil. 
The  leaf  is  partly  earhonized,  luit  it  curls  up  from  Mie  surfaee  on  dryiu;:,  iiini 
may  be  detached,  leaving  a  beantifnl  impression  of  the  venation,  &c. 


PROVIXCKS   or    MAIIANHAO,    PAIiA,    AND    A.MAZONAS.       -ISO 


'>>ia  a- 


I 


H :  i' 


'•  IV.    A  crust  of  sandy  clay,  very  hard,  moulded  in  the  hicciuali- 
ties  of  the  foliated  clay. 

'•v.,  VI.,  Vll.,  VIII.,  and  IX.  S,n„lstn„c 
fnnn(ttii»i,  sometimes  regularly  stratified  and 
compact,  especially  in  the  lower  beds  (V.), 
siicli  as  one  sees  on  the  borders  of  the 
ill'ivdpes  of  ^Manjios ;  sometimes  cavernous 
iiiul  intermixed  with  irre;j:ular  masses  of  clay 
(VI.),  especially  well  developed  at  Villa  I'.ella 
uikI  at  Maniios  ;  at  others  all  the  characters 
of  a  torrential  stratiHcation  (VII.,  VIII.,  and 
IX.).  The  deposits  of  this  Inst  nature  arc 
only  seen  in  the  elevated  hills  of  Vlmeirim, 
Krorc,  and  Cupati,  and  in  the  mo.st  elevated 
clitfs  of  the  borders  of  the  river,  as  at  Tonan- 
tiiLs,  Tabatinga,  Sao  Paulo,  and  ou  the  bor- 
ders of  the  Rio  Negi'o. 

"  X.  The  argilo-arenaccoua,  unstratified 
drift,  occupying  all  the  inequalities  of  the 
si'il  resulting  from  the  denudation  of  the 
sandstone  with  torrential  stratification.  It 
is  in  this  drift  that  MM.  Agassiz  and  Cou- 
tinho  have  foimd  true  erratic  blocks  of  dio. 
rito.  of  a  metre  in  diameter,  at  Ercre.  This 
formation  is  never  met  with  on  the  clifl's 
elevated  several  hundreds  of  feet  in  height. 
There  is  not  a  trace  of  it  on  the  summit  of 
u.o  hills  of  Erere. 

"  Tlie  fact  that  the  coarse  sand,  No.  I.,  ap- 
pears throughout  at  the  level  of  low  water, 
thut  it  follows  the  general  slope  of  the  val- 
ley, shows  incontestably  that  the  deposition 
of  this  formation  does  not  reach  back  to  an 
epoch  anterior  to  the  excavation  of  the  val- 
21* 


VA^ 


41  (0 


GEOLOGY   AND   I'lIYSICAL   GEOGHAPIIY. 


ley  ifself.  Tlie  total  tliickiicss  of  the  Amazoniiiii  drift  docs  n^f 
cxcce<l  three  hundred  metres;  it  covers  the  whole  basin  nftli' 
Amazonas.  from  the  Andes  of  Peru  and  Bolivia  to  Cape  Suo  li(ii|ii(  ; 
or,  in  other  words,  it  ..-.  the  most  colossal  drift  formatir>n  known." 

I'rofossor  Agassiz  Itcliovos  that  the  beds  I.,  11.,  III..  IV.. 
or  the  coarse  sands  and  clays,  were  dejwsited  in  a  lake  ni- 
sheet  of  fresh  water  ()C('n|)ying  the  valley  of  the  Ania/.inias. 
and  sustaining  u\\  its  surface  a  glacier,  descending  eastwunl 
from  the  Andes,  and  furnished  with  a  gigantic  moraine  in 
front  stretching  across  the  mouth  of  the  valley  and  coii\cit- 
ing  it  into  an  inland  fresh-water  lake.  After  the  ice  hud 
broken  up  and  become  moi'e  or  less  disintegrated,  ainl  tlic 
waters  of  the  lake  had  swollen,  the  sandstone  formatidii  \'.. 
YI.,  Vll.,  A'llL,  TX.  was  laid  down,  then  the  barrici-  w;(> 
burst ;  the  waters  of  the  lake,  suddeidy  released,  fur  rowel 
and  wore  down  the  sandstone  beds,  sweepiing  them  ciitiivly 
away  over  an  immense  area,  leaving  only  isolated  hills,  like 
those  of  Erer^,  Obydos,  Cupatf,  Almeyrim,  tte.,  standing  as 
renmants  of  the  once  universal  .sandstone  sheet.  After  iliis 
period  of  turbulence  and  denudation  came  on  an  I'jiocli 
of  quiet,  and  in  the  bottom  of  the  diminished  lake  tliC 
clays,  No.  X.,  were  deposited,  while  ice-rafts  floating  on 
its  surface  droj>ped  here  and  there  boulders,  to  be  Itnricd 
in  the  accumulating  material.  Then  the  moraine  was  d','- 
stroyed ;  the  drainage  of  the  waters  furrowed  deeply  tln'sc 
clays,  and  even  cut  through  them  into  the  sandstone  Ik'ow, 
in  which  the  various  channels  of  the  system  of  the  .\ni;i- 
zonas  are  excavated.  Professor  Agassiz  believes  thai  llic 
great  barrier  stretched  across  the  Amazonian  valley  far  east- 
ward of  its  present  extremity,  and  he  has  called  pttention 
to  the  similarity  between  the  formatiojis  found  spread  over 
the  coast  of  Maraidiao  and  Piauhy  and  the  Amazonian  lor- 


TROVIXCES   OF   MARAXHAO,    PARA,   AND   AMAZONAS.       4'.)1 

nations  here  described,  sliowinj^  conclusively  tluit  these  dc- 
[in>its  were  once  continuous.  It  is  his  helict"  tlmt  the  Ania- 
zMiiian  formation  formerly  extended  a  hundred  lea<>-ues  out 
to  sea  beyond  the  present  mouth  of  the  Amazonas.  There 
riui  he  no  doubt  that  there  is  a  rapid  waste  of  land  f^oinji;  on 
along  the  sea-shores  of  the  mouth  of  the  Amazonas  and  of 
iIk;  coast  eastward  f(n'  a  long  distance, —  a  waste  amounting 
to  even  so  nmch  as  two  huiulred  yards  in  ten  years  in  the  bay 
of  i'.raganza,  or  a  mile  in  twenty,  as  on  the  coast  near  ^'igiaJ 
where  an  island  a  mile  wide  disapi)eared  in  that  time.* 

I  have  three  times  visited  Paia,  and  have  had  an  opportu- 
nity of  seeing  something  of  the  Amazonian  formation.  The 
luck  underlying  the  town,  and  exposed  at  ordinary  low- 
water  level  at  the  base  of  the  bluff  under  the  fort,  is  a 
(■oiu'sc  dark-red  sandstone  with  an  abmidant  cement  of 
iron  oxide,  and  j)rcciscly  like  the  red  sandstone  I  have  so 
I'fti'n  described  as  occui>ying  a  similar  level  and  luider- 
Wnvj:  the  tertiary  clays  of  the  coast  of  Hio,  Kspirito  Santo, 
Ac.  Over  this  sandstone  is  a  considerable  beil  ol"  red,  white, 
ami  particcdored  fels])athic  clays,  with  a  greater  or  less 
ailmixture  of  sand,  which  clays  present  exactly  the  same 
a|i|iearancc  and  level  as  the  tertiary  clays  of  the  j»rovinces 
just  referred  to. 

iSefore  I  knew  anything  of  the  conclusions  of  Professor 
Aiiassiz  as  to  the  age  of  the  Amazonian  dejtosits,  1  had  sat- 
islit'd  mvself  that  the  clavs  and  sandstones  extendiiiL''  alonyr 
till'  whole  eastern  coast  of  Ijrazil,  from  the   Cay  of  Rio  to 


*  Since  the  tertiary,  nt  least,  nml  I  l)elievc  fortlie  preater  part  since  tlie  drift, 
t'u'  wliule  eastern  Brazilian  coast  has  sutfered  (leiiiuhuidn  liy  the  sea  to  an 
ininu'iisc  amount,  ami  a  very  wide  strip  of  tertiary  rocks  has  hecn  removed. 
1 1'^lii've  that  these  deposits  once  extended  beyond  the  Ahrolhos.  and  tliat  >iiiith 
"t  Cnpe  Roque  the  sea  has  cut  them  away  for  a  mean  width  of  tit'ty  miles  or 
more, 


402 


GEOLOGY   AND   TIIYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


tlic  Aniazonas,  avcm-c  older  than  llio  drift  clays  wlileli  ovor- 
sjd'cad  tlieni;  and  as  tliey  ai'O  stratified  deposits  on  an  n\Hu 
coast,  tlicrc  can  lie  no  douljt  of  tlicir  marine  origin.  At  rii'>t, 
misled  l)y  what  1  had  read  of  the  geology  of  Jh-azil,  as  wtll 
as  by  the  strong  resc  ml  dance  the  sandstones  hore  to  the 
new  red  sandstones  of  the  JJasin  of  Minas  in  Nova  Scotia, 
with  which  1  have  l»ecn  familiar  since  my  boyhood,  1  was 
disposed  to  regard  the  Brazilian  formation  in  question  as 
triassic  ;  hut  1  soon  found  that  it  was  underlaid  unconlbiiu- 
ahly  liy  cretaceous  rocks  in  Bahia,  and  I  came  to  the  (inly 
conclusion  possil)lc,  —  that  it  was  older  than  the  drift  and 
newer  than  the  cretaceous.  I  can  see  no  reason,  therefore, 
for  considering  the  coast  l)eds  as  anything  hut  tertiary, 
though  they  may  be,  and  probably  are,  very  late  tertiary. 
1  have  attempted  no  conijiarison  between  these  beds  and  the 
tertiary  Iteds  of  the  pamjias,  because,  in  the  aljseneo  of 
fossils,  and  having  never  seen  the  })ampian  tertiaries  ami 
post-tertiaries,  I  have  nothing  to  aid  me  in  instituting  sneh 
a  comparison.  It  has  seemed  to  me  that  the  fact  of  the 
occurrence  on  an  ojien  sea-coast  of  clays  and  sandstones 
precisely  similar  to  those  occupying  the  lower  plains  of  the 
Amazoiuis,  as  at  Para,  and  in  fact  tying  in  with  tln'ni.  re- 
lieves one  of  the  necessity  of  looking  to  a  fresh-water  origin 
for  the  Amazonian  beds. 

There  cannot  be  the  slightest  doubt  that  the  beds  forming 
the  mountains  of  Krere,  Almeyrim,  once  covered  the  whole 
valley,  and  have  been  enormously  denuded.  1  should  never 
have  doulited  whether  the  red  sandstones  at  i'arii  really 
belonge<l  to  the  scries  of  beds  forming  the  Monte  Ah'gre- 
Ererd  hills,  if  I  had  not  found  along  the  coast  of  Espirirn 
Santo  the  same  sandstones  with  precisely  similar  overlying 
•■lays,  with  no  talde-toppcd  hills  piercing  them  as  at  Ererc. 


riMJVINcF.S    OV    MAIIANIIAO.    l'Al;\. 


AND    AMAZi'tN'AS.        4'X\ 


( )iily  oiicc  liiivc  I  seen  wliiil  I  tliDUU'ht  to  ln'  a  lal>U'  tii|»|i(*il 
liill  staiKliiiii'  on  the  (.-oast  tertiary  jilaiii.  That  was  im  the 
I'iVAst  south  of  Rio  dc  Coiitas,  the  oliscrvatioii  w:  <  a  doiilit- 
iiil   one,  ami   I  have  felt   more   like  iiistitiitin,!:;  a   coiiipari- 

1  i)et\vt'cii  the  eliaiia(his  on  llic  Aina/.oiias  and  those  of 


>i)\ 


V 


iKiDalia  aiu 


1  M 


uias 


X 


ovas  ;  oi",  in  othn-  woi-i 


Is.  I 


am  (lis- 


|iiis('(l  to  rcuard  the  eliapathis  of  Krci'e  as  the  outliers  of  the 
i:ivat  tei'tiaiy  sheet  that  once  eovcred  the  uri^at    Ura/ilian 


phitcan,  and  now  lies  unl)i'oken  over  such  an  nnnu-nsc 
I'Xii'iit  in  the  province  of  Matto  (^irosso.  Aecordinu'  to  the 
(ili>(M'\atioiis  of  Dr.  11.  I\  Stevens  and  others,  the  iilatcau 
n[  (Inyana  is  covered  liy  an  t'xtension  of  tjie  same  ii'r<'at 
hii'l.  while  the  \alley  of  the  Orinoco  is  ocen|)ie(l  with 
clays  })i'eci>ely  sinular  to  tlu.ise  of  the  valley  of  the  Ama- 
:'.iimis.* 

It  is  with  nnich  liesitation  that  1  e.\|)ress  an  o]iinlon  at 
>ari;ince  with  so  distin,u'iiishe(l  an  authority  as  Professor 
AL:a>si/ ;  Imi  the  I'acts  have  seemed  to  nee(l  a  difU'rent 
iiit('r|iretation  from  that  which  he  has  m'iven  them.  .My 
iMiiiliision>.  after  all,  do  not  afli'ct  his  theory  of  the  foi'iner 
■lcin;e  of  Lilaeii'rs  nnder  the  tropics,  down  to  the  present 
•1  of  the  sea,  —  a  tlieoiy  which  1  hold  as  firmly  as  he.f 


i'\i 


k\i 


*  Professor  Ortoii  fomul  wi'st  of  TiiUiitiiiLr.'i  tirti^iry  .slu'lls  in  l»uil.s  wliuli  liu 
iiin>iili'iN  to  tic  a  part  of  tlie  Amazonian  iomiation.  TIu'm'  fossils  wvvv  ilc- 
Miilnil  liy  Profi'ssor  (Jahl)  in  t\u'  Jniuiiul  nf  ijinrliu/oi/i/.  Tlu'  spccit's  arc  Xiriliini 
/"'/"',  TnrhimiHii  minnsruln,  ^fcxsulid  (hiani,  I'lllinti  Aiinr.iunnsia,  /'(n/ii/iltnt  iih- 
/"/"",  and  /'.  teiimi.  It  is  nuiili  to  l)e  r(.'}::retted  tliat  I'rofi'ssor  Orton  lias  not 
L'ivcii  aik'scriiition  of  the  locality  where  these  (osils  are  found,  ami  of  their 
iiMih  (if  ocenrrencc. 

t  I  have  ei>ntined  inyself  in  tliis  (•!ia])ter  to  a  short  discussion  of  the  question 
of  till' M^ry  of  il,|.  .Vuiazduian  sand-tones,  and  I  have  atteni]>ted  to  ;:ive  no  ile- 
scri])tiou  of  the  ^^reat  river  ami  its  wonders.  I  would  reti.'r  the  reader  desirous 
of  kimnin^r  more  cf  the  Amazonas  to  the  "Journey  in  Brazil." 

It  i-  inilieii  surprising,'  that  ufter  several  hundred  volumes,  classic  in  seienee, 


4'J4 


GEOLOGV   AND   PHYSICAL   GKOGKAPIIV, 


Prolbssor  Auassiz  luis  callod  atttMitioii  to  tlic  fossils  fioiu 
cretaceous  beds  discovered  l»y  ^Ir.  Cluuidless  on  tlu>  ri\t'r 
Aquiiy,  one  oi"  the  aHluents  of  the  Purus.  These  beds  (.'(in- 
sist of  hardened  clay  and  ''pseudo-conglomerate,"*  —  tlh 
latter  being  a  sort  of  clay  rock  full  of  concretions,  wliich 
give  to  the  formation  the  ai)[)earancc  of  a  conglonieralo. 
Associatetl  with  it  is  a  sandstone.  The  fossils  are  said  liv 
Mr.  Chandless  to  be  very  a1>undant,  and,  according,  1  lu'lievc, 
to  the  determination  of  Professor  Agassiz,  they  C(jnsist  of 
the  bones  of  Mosasauri  f  and  turtles,  together  with  f  »ssii 
wood.  These  remains  appear  to  be  principally  conrnieil  to 
the  clays  and  "  i)seudo-conglomeratc." 

Professor  Agassiz  regards  these  fossils  as  indicatiiiL:'  a 
horizon  lilcc  that  of  the  Maestricht  l)eds  in  Europe  (J/a-- 
strichtlcn,  —  upper  chalk).    Judging  from  the  descrijjtiuii  ul' 


have  l)cen  written  on  Brazil,  and  some  scores  of  works  have  been  puhlislicil  on 
the  Aniazonas,  hy  sucli  writers  ns  De  la  Condamine,  Ilumboldt,  Spix  ami  M:'r- 
tiiis,  Prince  Adelhcrt,  Bates,  Wallace,  Aj^assiz.  and  a  host  of  others  of  ixivnWr 
or  less  note,  the  idea  ,-lioidd  be  so  f^enerally  prevalent  that  the  cmuitry  is  uihx- 
])Iorcd,  a  jierfeet  tirni  iucoipiita,  and  that  every  year  or  two  some  traveller  ikmi' 
before  heard  of  shonld  astonisli  himself,  if  not  the  world,  by  reiliscoveriii:,'  tin.' 
river.  Perhaps  after  spcndinj;  a  month  on  its  waters,  the  jjreatcr  part  of  whiili 
is  consumed  on  board  his  canoe  or  the  steamer,  he  writes  a  book,  or  at  least  a 
ma;razine  artick'  or  two  !  Few  countries  have  suffered  more  in  America  at  the 
hands  of  superticial  travellers  and  writers  than  Brazil.  I  would  es|ie('iiiily 
recommend  to  the  attention  of  my  readers  the  excellent  little  book  ly  Mr. 
Bates,  "  The  Naturalist  on  the  Amazonas."  Its  niithor  is  a  f.'ood  natunili-t, 
and  his  eleven  years  of  residence  in  the  country  liavc  enabled  him  to  write  with 
great  accuracy. 

*  Chandless's  papers  on  the  Bio  Aquiry.  (Jour.  Roy.  Geoj^.  Soe.) 
t  Professor  O.  C.  Marsh,  in  t)ne  of  his  papers  read  before  the  Salem  mectiiii; 
of  the  American  A,ssociation,  called  attention  to  the  rarity  of  the  Mosasaiiruiil 
forms  in  the  Kuropean  cretaceous  and  their  jrreat  abundance  in  the  eretaci.oiis 
of  North  America.  It  is  interesting  to  obserxc  the  occurrence  of  this  iumc 
type  in  South  America. 


mim 


PROVINCES   OF   MAILVNIIAO,   FAUA,   AND   AMA/.ONAS.       4'.I.j 

Mr.  Tlic'ljorgc,  tlic  A(|aiiy  l)e(ls  must  rcsemljlo  those  of  Ccani, 
in  which  the  fossil  lislies  occur. 

On  tlic  I'urus  Mr.  Chandloss  *  found  the  same  beds  at 
aliuut  hit.  7°  iry  8.,  long.  G0°  W.,  with  bones  and  an  abui.\- 
dance  of  fossil  wood. 


*  Ascent  of  I'liriis,  Jour.  Roy.  Gcog.  Soc,  Vol.  XXXVI. 


•4'JG 


GEOLOGY   AND   I'lIVSICAL   GLOGRAI'llY. 


CJIArTKU    XVI. 


PROVIN'CKS   OF   GOYAZ   AND   MATTo   GIIOSSO. 

Tiio  Gi'ni:ra]iliiciil  Position  of  tlie  I'rovinTO  of  (Joyaz.  —  The  C'linpailn  tin 
Maii;;al)L'ira.  —  (jL'olo^ry  of  tiie  \'iciiiiiy  of  Nativiiiatle.  —  (iol(l-Wa>iiiii-s  ut 
till!  SfiTii  (la  Natividade,  tlic  Arraial  da  Ciia|ia(la,  and  tiio  Arraial  ilaCon- 
i ,  i.ao.  —  Stiuctuiv  of  the  Serra  at  tlie  Town  of  Arrayas.  —  Tin-  Sum 
(icral.  —  S\ii)terranean  Streams.  —  Western  and  Southern  (ioyaz  eonijuiMil 
of  .Mctanioriiliic  HoclxS.  —  Distriiintion  of  Gneissosc  and  (.iraiiiiic  l{ink>  in 
We-tern  IJrazil.  —  Tlie  Monies  I'yreneos  and  their  Height.  —  Tlic  llii.i 
Ara;,Mniya  and  its  Navigation.  —  Dr.  Coiito  de  Ma;,'aiiiaes. —  Iliia  (Kr  IJa- 
nanal.  —  Xote  on  Tiraniias.  — (ioid,  Diamonds,  Iron,  and  Cla'ome  On-.— 
Climate,  Forests,  Population,  i^c. —  The  Western  J'art  of  the  Plateau  ..t 
15ra/,il  eoni|)osed  of  undisturhed  IJeds  of  Sandstone,  iS:e. — The  Aiuazniiii-- 
Paraguay   Water-slieil  a  I'lain  without  Sernu. 

Till-:  niatoi'iiils  for  writint"'  a  sketch  of  the  OooIoqv  df  tli'- 

Pi'ovince  of  (Joynz  arc  very  nioagro,  since  it  lias  never  1 ii 

explored  l)y  any  competent  modern  geologist.  St.  Ililaiiv. 
Polil,*  Ijnrcbell,  and  several  other  natnralists  visited  ili' 
province  in  the  early  part  of  the  century.  Gardner  niaili' 
a  Journey  through  the  eastern  part  in  the  year  1S4<K  iii;ik- 
ing  a  few  geological  observations;  l)ut  Castelnau,  in  1^14. 
travelled  very  extensively  through  the  length  and  lucnilili 
of  the  province,  furnishing  us  with  connected  and  valiuil'l'' 
geological  sections,  though  these  sections  and  the  ai-cniu- 
panying  text  rarely  ever  do  more  than  indicate  the  litlio- 

*  Pohl's  (G.  E.)  Tteisf  im  Tnnern  von  Brasiliin  in  rfrn  Jaliren  1817 -1*-1. 
2  Bde.,  mil  Atlas  (Wein,  18.'J1  -37),  and  his  BiitiiUje  zur  GcbirrjxknnLk  Band- 
icns  (Miinehen,  1832)  I  have  never  seen. 


rROVIXCES   OF    r.oVAZ    AND    MATTO   GIIOSSO. 


4!C 


h'/\ci\\  character  (^f  the  lonnatioiis.  The  strut ig-nipliy  is 
v:imit'Iy  given,  and  no  atteniitt  is  nuide  to  show  the  age  ui" 
the  (lillerent  dejjosits. 

(Jdvaz  lies  west  of  the  ]»rovinces  of  Piauhy,  JJaliia,  and 
Miiias  Geraes,  and  is  very  long  IVoni  north  to  south,  and 
i:;iirow  from  east  to  west.  It  coin|)ris('s  the  liasiii  of  the 
Tucantins  ahove  its  junction  witli  the  Araguaya,  the  part  oj" 
ihe  hasin  oi"  the  Araguaya  east  of  that  rivrr,  and  the  riglit 
M«lc  of  the  hasin  of  the  raranuiiylia,  from  the  Rio  Jacarc 
ti;  the  Rio  Apure. 

The  Chapaihi  da  Ahmgaheira  is,  as  ah'cady  i'emarke(I,  the 
xiuthward  continuation  of  the  taMe-hmd  scpai'ating  the 
|inivince  of  Piaidiy  from  the  vaHcy  of  the  Sao  Francisco. 
h  is  in  some  phices  (jnite  forty  miles  in  width.  Its  top 
loiius  a  plain,  and  it  consists  of  horizontal  beds  of  saml- 
MuiK.'  lying  on  metamoi-phic  rocks.  iJetween  the  chapadu 
;;iiil  Xatividade  the  countiy  is  composed  of  these  latter 
>trata,  while  the  scrra  at  Xatividade  has,  according  to  Gaid- 
iK'r,  the  centre  of  granite,  overlaid  l)y  schistose  rocks.  The 
WL'stern  side  of  the  serra  is  hounded  hy  l)eds  of  a  very  coni- 
pnct  grayish-colored  limestone,  which  extends  northwards  for 
>evcral  leagues,  forming  a  range  of  low  hills.  The  surface 
•loposits  oil  this  serra,  which  are  lai'gcly  composed  of  a  fer- 
niuiiious  gravel,  doulttless  like  the  drift  casraUio  of  Minas 
Xuvas.  contain  gold,  anciently  mined  to  some  extent.  Gard- 
ner says  that  the  view  east  and  north  from  tlu^  serra  is 
liouiided  hy  several  low  ridges,  Imt  that  to  tin?  west  and 
>i>ii(li  the  country  appeared  to  be  one  vast  })lain.  The 
Ninic  traveller  tells  us  that  the  whole  country  ahout  the 
Anaial  da  Chapada,  a  few  leagues  west,  has  Ijeen  turned 
"ViT  in  search  of  gold.  The  Arraial  stands  on  a  low  cha- 
I'ii'la.  liut  Gardner  does  not  describe  its  structure.     Gold 

IF 


k 


4'JS 


GEOLOGY  AND    I'lIYSICAL   GEOGRArilY, 


iilso  occurs  ill  the  vicinity  of  the  Arraial  da  Conccirrm. 
(Jardiier's  account  ol"  the  structuix'  of  the  serra  on  wlii.li 
the  town  of  Arrayas  stamls  is  interesting.  The  roeics  aiv 
all  nietaniorphic  and  almost  vertical,  the  inclination  tcml- 
ing  toward  the  east.  CJardner  says  :  "  The  most  westriK 
of  these  rocks  have  an  arenaceous,  schistose  Ktructur(\  iiml 
these  oNerlie  a  very  eonijiaet,  grayish-coloi'ed,  sti'atifKMl  idrk 
very  much  reseml)ling  gneiss,  in  ^vhich  ;ire  imlieddcil  in- 
numerahlc  rounded  pehhles  of  granite  and  ([uart/,  of  all 
sizes,  from  one  to  three  or  four  inches,  and  which  is  proliaMy 
eiiuivalent  to  the  gray  wacke  rocks  of  the  ( )ld  World."  Limt'- 
stoiies,  which  occur  both  to  the  noith  and  south,  were  not 
ohserved  here.  Whether  the  linu'stoncs  mentioned  \nh  w: 
in  the  same  series  with  the  slates  does  not  ajipear  IVnin 
(lardner's  statement.  The  Serra  (Jeral,  eastward  of  Arravas 
is  dcscrihed  as  heing  of  no  great  elevation,  and  jirt'siiit- 
ing  a  level  top  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach,  heing  evidently 
the  continuation  of  the  Chapada  da  Mangalielra,  and,  like 
it,  composed  of  horizontal  sandstone  lieds.*  In  speakiii'i 
of  the  road  I'rom  IJonita  to  Arraial  de  Sao  Domingos,  we 
are  told  that  "the  top  of  the  serra  still  continued  to  lie 
level,  with  a  precii)itous  face,  the  rock  being  of  a  r('(l(li>li 
yellow,"  and  that  "shortly  after  leaving  J>onita  an  ejcvatcil 
|>yramidal  peak  of  the  same  elevation  as  the  scna  i> 
descried  to  the  southeast,  ])resenting  a  remarkable  ri'<iin- 
blancc  to  some  enormous  work  of  art,"  so  that  tiiere  <aii 
be  no  doul)t  al)out  the  general  structure  of  the  serra. 

Castelnau  represents  on  his  map  a  little  stream  Just  mulli 
of  Sao  Domingos  as  flowing  in  a  sul)terranean  chaiim  l.f 
Crardner  describes  a  river  near  the  Fazenda  de  Sao  .loan, 

*  This  is  conlirmcd  by  Mr.  Thomas  Ward,  wlio  has  travcllftl  ove;-  it. 
t  Castelnau,  V""'  Partic,  Grwirnpliip,  Alios,  PhiiKhc  4. 


PROVINCES   OF   GOYA/    AND    MAITO    CROSSO. 


r.'ii 


tliiit  (lisfiii]i('ars  in  nn  o]ioiiin^^  in  liincsfniK"  strain,  and 
runs  undci'iri'Dnnd  Ini-  scvcial  miles,  wlicn  it  n'ajtpcnis.* 

On  his  jonrncy  to  Sao  Knniai)  (laiMJutT  lullowt'il  tlu'  Scrra 
llcral  from  near  Sao  honiintios  to  llic  Iicatl-watci's  of  the 
lincnia,  ami  he  dt'sci-ilios  il  as  one  vii't-al  clcvatcil  plain  or 
rlia|iadao.  Of  the  p'olo^'ical  strnctnro  ol'llic  southern  part 
lie  <aiv('s  Imt  few  lunts,  hut  a>  he  occasionally  mentions  the 
(icenrrenee  of  limestone  it  is  M-iy  |ii'ol>alile  that  it  may  he,  in 
piirt  at  least,  comijosed  of  strata  of  that  rock,  the  continnii- 
tinii  of  the  horizontal  limestone  deposits  of  the  K'io  das 
\'elhas.  Most  ma|»s  repi'esent  a  narrow  mountain-chain 
separating  the  hasins  of  the  Sao  Francisco  iuul  tlu;  Tocan- 
tiiis,  and  (h.'riier,  in  his  map  of  Minas  (leracs,  thonuh  he 
ivpresents  correctly  the    ('hai>adoes    de   Santa    Ahiria    and 

rrncniu,  with  their  jjreat  levid   tojis.  draws  aloim-   the 

ter-shed  a  mountain-chain  on  to])  of  tlui  chapada,  call- 
\u<j:  it  till'  Serra  das  Araras  and  the  Seri'a  do  I'ai'anan. 
Along  this  whole  region  W(^  have  no  evidence  that  1 
iiave   seen    of  the    existence    of   any    extensive    elevations 

aking  through  tlie  great  tahle-land.  Castelnau's  ma|)  of 
the  southern  j»art  of  the  province  shows  the  chapada  as 
extending  southward  nearly  to  Catalao.  (Jei-her  represents 
il  eha]iada  on  the  oj)p(jsite  ov  south  side  of  the  \alley  of 
the  L'rucuia.  When  we  come,  however,  to  the  southeiMi  part 
tit'  the  ju'ovinee,  we  find,  just  over  the  limits,  in  the  I'rov- 
iiice  of  Minas  Geraes,  the  innnense  Chapada  da  Taljatinga 
Iviiiu'  hetween  the  Ilios  Grande  and  Paranahvha,  and  com- 


(iii 


\va 


hr( 


iKise 


d  of  horizontal  heds  of  samlstones,  Ai 


Aecordin<>;  to  Castelnau,  Saint   llilaire.  and   others,  the 


*  Tlieiv  iiiv  otlicr  oxniiiplcs  of  siilitorniiuaii  strcuns  in  RrM/.il.  Ciciljcr 
n].ri'sc'iits  tlic  Uio  I'anlo,  an  alilueiit  oi'  tlic  Si'kj  Fraiici>io  on  tlic  lift  sido, 
it>  tlowinu^  nnclcr  a  riel^c. 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


I.I 


1.25 


'r  '^  MM. 

lii    1^       

^   IA£    III  2.0 

UUi- 

II  1.8 
U    III  1.6 


/j. 


"c>l 


<>^. 


^^ 


7 


/^ 


Photographic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


ts 


£>< 


5(J0 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GLOGRArHY, 


foundation  rock  of  western  and  southern  Goyaz  is  evci'v- 
wlierc  gneiss,  luiea-scliists,  elay-i^lutcs,  and  limestones,  evi- 
dently lielong'iny;  t(j  the  same  metanioi'iiliic  series  we  llml 
in  the  eastern  part  of  the  Hrazilian  })lateau.  These  rocks 
are  nnieh  folded,  rising  in  mountains  comparing  in  eh'vu- 
tion  with  those  of  Minas  (Jeraes.  The  ridge  dividing  tlie 
basin  of  the  Toeantins  from  that  of  the  Paranahyha  hrancli 
of  the  Parana  is  of  the  same  character.  Clay  slates  aiul 
other  metamorphic  rocks  are  seen  at  Cuiaba  and  Dianiiin- 
thio  in  Matto  Grosso,  and  Chandless  *  sj)eaks  of  granite 
seen  in  the  bed  of  the  river  Ta|)aJos,  ten  miles  above  the 
Rio  de  Peixcs,  just  Iielow  the  Rio  das  Tropas,  at  the  shal- 
low of  Mangaljal  Grande,  and  at  various  points  below  on 
the  same  river.  All  these  observations  go  to  show  that  the 
great  Brazilian  i)lateau,  like  that  of  Guyana,  was  originally 
wholly  composed  of  gncissose  and  schistose  metamorphic 
rocks,  much  disturbed  throughout.  It  has  been  supposed  ly 
some  that,  going  westward  from  the  Serra  do  Espinha^o,  the 
signs  of  metamoriihism  disappeared,  and  that  r(.»cks  wliieh 
in  eastern  Minas  Geraes  might  have  been  highly  metamor- 
phosed s})read  out  flatly  westward,  as  in  the  eastern  part 
of  the  United  States  the  pala30zoic  rocks  which  were  folded 
along  the  Alleghanian  region  spread  horizontally  over  the 
west.  This  is  not  the  case,  so  far  as  I  can  learn,  in  Brazil. 
The  metamorphic  part  of  the  Brazilian  plateau,  so  high  on 
the  east,  in  ^Minas  sloi)CS  off  to  the  north-northwest,  and 
southwestward  from  the  vicinity  of  Ouro  Preto,  and  dips 
under  the  gi-eat  sheet  of  tertiary  rocks,  showing  itself  only 
where  these  are  denuded,  or  where  an  occasional  and  rare 
prominence  i)ierces  these  strata,  but  a  ridge  of  these  rocks 
stretches  off  in  a  series  of  high  lands  from  Ouro  Preto  and 
Rarbacena  into  Goyaz. 

*  Juiiriml  Royal  Geograithical  Society,  Vol.  XXXII. 


PROVINCES   OF   GOYAZ   AKD   MATTO   OROSSO. 


501 


Mr.  Thomas  Ward,  in  a  note  addressed  to  the  antlior,  very 
a])t)y  describes  the  Province  ol'  (loyaz  as  a  nietaniorjihic 
ishuid  in  a  sea  of  sandstone,  and  snch  seems  indeed  to  be 
t!ie  case.  The  sandstones  have  Ijccn  swejit  away  from  tlie 
greater  part  of  tlie  Aragnaya-Tocantins  basin,  leaving  the 
irregular  surface  of  tlie  metanioi'iiliic  rocks  exposed.  The 
highest  points  hi  Goyaz  are  the  Pontes  Pyreneos,  near  the 
city  of  Goyaz,  which  are  said  to  lie  over  1»,;">00  feet.* 

The  highlands  in  Southern  Central  Goyaz,  collectively 
known  as  part  of  the  l?erra  dos  Yertentes  of  IJaron  von 
Esehwege,  form  the  water-shed  between  the  Tocantins- 
Aragiiaya  bas^in  on  the  north  and  the  Parana  l)asin  on  the 
south.  The  Araguaya  and  Tocantins  altove  their  junction 
are  both  largo  rivers,  but  the  Araguaya  is  very  much  longei-, 
and  should  rank  as  the  main  river.  It  flows  for  the 
greater  part  of  its  length  at  a  much  lower  level  than  the 
Tucantins,  and  it  olfers  much  greater  facilities  for  navigation. 
The  Araguaya  has  been  several  times  exjdored.  Castelnau  f 
ill  18-44  descended  the  river  from  the  mouth  of  the  Crixas  to 
its  union  with  the  Tocantins,  and  then  ascended  the  Tocan- 
tins, making  ])lans  of  both  rivers.  lie  found  the  Araguaya 
navigal)lc  and  with  but  few  obstructions.  In  1X'A\  the 
President  of  the  Province  sent  vSr.  Vallee  to  exjilore  the 
S'ame  river,  and  he  reported  that  it  might  easily  lie  nuide 
navigable.:}: 

*  I  find  in  the  Bahia  Intnesxr-  Publico  for  the  21st  of  NovcmI)ur,  180B,  a  letter 
Irom  Sr.  II.  R.  dos  Genettcs,  dcscriliing  an  ascent  of  the  Pyirneos.  Tliis  <:en- 
tknum  says  tliat  ho  ascertained  the  lieij^ht  of  the  most  elevated  point  to  be  2,932 
mutirs,  or  ahont  9,G19  feet,  wliieh  is  mneh  greater  than  liad  been  siipiiosed. 

+  Ciistelnau,  Expe'd.  clans  I'Amcr.  du  ^ud,  Hist,  du  Voijayc,  Tomes  I.  ct  II. ; 
also  Atlas. 

\  E.  J.  C.  Vallee,  Explomcnn  do  Rio  Aw;iiai/n.  Pul)lished  in  the  Annexo  V,  to 
Olio  of  the  Government  Reports,  jHihli-lied,  I  tliink,  in  ISO.").  My  copy  wants 
till'  tit]e-pay:e. 


502 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


Dr.  Couto  de  ]\[{igalliuc.s,  formerly  Prcsiilcnt  of  Goynx. 
espoused  the  cause  of  the  Araguaya,  and  navigated  it  in  u 
little  steamer  from  Jurujjeneeu),  fourteen  leagues  fi'oni  ilic 
capital  on  the  Ilio  Vernielho,  a  l)ranch  of  tlie  Araguaya,  to 
Pard.  The  president  pulJislied  not  long  since  an  excellent 
memorial  on  the  advantages  to  be  gained  by  the  navigatimi 
of  the  river.  ^Ir.  Ward  tells  me  that  a  steamer  n(j\v  niukcs 
regular  tri}»s  from  Para  to  Goyaz.  I  have  told  the  stoiy  mi 
Araguaya  to  show  that  Brazil  is  not  wholly  without  lln' 
sjiirit  of  enterprise.  She  is  exploring  her  great  rivers  and 
establishing,  slowly  it  is  true,  steam  navigation  upon  tiiein. 
and  in  a  few  years  the  interior  of  Brazil,  so  long  shut  out 
from  the  world,  will  lie  accessilile  to  conmiercc. 

The  lands  bordering  the  Araguaya  arc  in  great  })art  flat. 
low,  and  com})Osed  of  sands,  clays,  and  other  very  i-eceut  tie- 
posits.  An  interesting  feature  in  the  river  is  the  liha  <lij 
Bauanal,  formed  by  an  arm  leaving  the  main  river  on  the 
east  in  latitude  about  12°  30'  (a})prox.),  and  entering  it 
again  in  about  9°  80'.  Castelnau  determined  the  length  of 
the  island  to  be  seventy-five  leagues.  Almeida,  in  his  luap 
of  Goyaz,  does  not  re})rescnt  it  as  quite  so  long. 

Tiie  Araguaya  is  very  rich  in  fish,*  and  a  sjiotMes  u'' 
doli)hin  occurs  in  it. 

Gold  is  found  in  many  localities  in  the  province.    The 


*  Castelnau  says  that  piranhas  —  he  calls  them  pimngas  —  aiv  very  nunn  i- 
oils  and  voracious.  According  to  liim,  "  lour  voracite  est  telle,  que  iire>i|U',' 
tons  les  oiseaux  aquatiqnes  (jue  nous  procurions  avaient  Ics  piittes  en  ]iarrio 

devore'es  par  cux Un  de  nos  coni])a^nions  de  voyage  jxjusse  j)ar  Vnxvl'^  'lo 

hi  ehaleur,  se  init  ini])riideniinent  a  I'eau,  et  ftit  iiresqiie  aiissi  t"t  attinim'  li;ir 
(les  legions  de  ces  animaux  ;  imniediatcnicnt  les  cnux  furent  teintesdesoii  saiis: 
et  il  flit  henrcux  pour  lui  qu'il  se  trouvat  tres  jjres  du  rivage,  vers  IiijikI  il  h' 
preeipita  avec  rajadite',  eehappaut  ainsi  aune  niortcertainoet  afiVensi-. "  —  //'>'. 
du  ]'wjii;/(,  Tome  I.  p.  404. 


TROVINCES   OF   GOYAZ   AND   MATTO   GROSSO. 


503 


)1'U\111C(.' 


(.'Oimtry  in  the  vicinity  of  the  capital  is  largely  auriferous. 
Castclnau  speaks  of  the  occurrence  of  the  })recious  metal  at 
the  following  Ljcalities,  Rio  Verniellio,  Rio  Ragageiu,  Serra 
Dourado,  Districto  de  Ouro  Fino,  !M(jrr(j  do  Calisto,  Districto 
duAnta,  Thesouras,  Rio  C'laro,  Julgado  de  Crixas,  Nativi- 
dadc,  Trahiras,  &c. 

DiauKJuds  have  ))ccn  found  on  the  Rio  Claro ;  iron  occurs 
at  Ouro  Fino,  Anta,  Aldea  de  Sao  Jose,  and  chrome  at  Ouro 
Fino,  where  it  is  said  to  have  been  found  Ity  Pohl. 

The  Province  of  Goyaz  is,  generally  s})eaking,  dry,  con- 
sisting of  campos  and  catingas.  Fi^'csts  have  but  a  small 
extension.  There  is  a  large  tract  covered  l)y  the  virgin 
forest  between  the  ca[)ital  and  Meia  Ponte.  The  province 
is  especially  adapted  for  grazing.  The  climate  is  dry,  l»ut 
varies  much,  according  to  latitude.  The  poi»idation  is,  ac- 
cording to  Almeida,  2-30,000  souls.* 

The  western  part  of  the  high  lands  of  Brazil,  forming  the 
Amazonas-Paraguay  water-shed,  and  comprised  in  the  prov- 
ince of  Matto  Grosso,  is  completely  covered  with  uiidis- 
tur1)cd  tertiary  beds,  and  forms  a  low  swelling  })lateau, 
oil  which  the  rivers  take  their  source. 

This  is  well  shown  in  the  maps  and  geological  sections 
accompanying  the  great  work  of  Count  Castelnau.  The 
rivers  Xingu,  Ta])ajos,  and  Paraguay  all  take  their  rise  in 
this  plain  f  within  a  few  miles  of  one  another,  near  Diaman- 

*  Castclnau  devotes  Chapter  XVII.  of  tlie  second  volume  of  liis  Ifist.  dn 
VoijiKje  to  a  description  of  the  Province  of  Goyaz. 

t  Chandlcss  says  that  the  water-shed  between  tlie  Amazonas  and  the  Para- 
guay, "  thoui^'h  commonly  called  a  serra,  has  nothing  of  a  mountainous  charac- 
ii.'r.  It  is  simply  a  high  range  of  country,  varying  but  little  in  its  general 
flovation,  tliough  deeply  grooved  by  the  valleys  of  the  rivers.  Around  theni 
Olio  linds  more  or  less  virgin  wood  ;  the  rest  is  eanipo,  that  is,  pastures  sprinkled 
iiiuio  or  less  thickly  with  stunted  trees,  in  jnirts  including  the  'iniim  tree.     This 


504 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAniY. 


tiiio,  and  the  water-shed  is  so  low  that  wooden  eanoes  ascend 
the  Tapajos  f'loni  .Santarem,  cross  over,  and  embark  on  the 
Paraguay,  descending  to  Villa  Maria. 

In  descending  the  'ra[);ijos,  on  his  way  from  the  Diamaii- 
tino  to  the  Amazonas,  Cliandless  Ibund  the  river  bordcroil 
by  sandstones,  whicli,  as  at  Creporc,  he  describes  as  soft  in 
character. 

On  the  road  from  Goyaz  to  Cuiaba  one  passes  over  an 
immense  })lain  of  sandstone  in  horizontal  beds.  The  viiUcv 
of  the  Paraguay  at  Cuialja  and  Diamantino  is  excavated  in 
this  sandstone  sheet  down  to  the  mctamorjjhic  rocks  lyinu 
beneath.  In  the  valley  of  the  Pai-aguay,  near  Cuiaba  and 
Diamantino,  diamonds  and  gold  occur  in  considerable  altnn- 
dance. 

So  little  is  definitely  known  about  the  geology  and  pliysi- 
cal  geography  of  the  Province  of  Matto  Grosso,  that  1  cdw- 
tent  myself  with  these  few  general  remarks.  Castelnau  lias 
written  more  than  any  one  else  on  the  physical  featui-es  of 
the  pi'ovince,  and  the  reader  is  referred  to  his  Illduire  du 
Voyage  for  more  details. 

range  seems  to  consist  mainly  of  sand-rock  and  clay.  In  general  it  drops 
steeply  and  often  |ireeipitously  to  the  lower  country,  the  plain  below  appenviiifr 
as  a  sea  with  deej)  bays  and  inlets." 


PROVINCES   SOUTH   OF   KIO. 


uOo 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

PROVINCES    OF    SAO    PAULO,    PARANA,   SANTA   CATIIARINA,   AND 

RIO    GRANDE    DO   SUL. 


Tlie  Serni  do  Mar  of  Sao  Paulo  a  Plateau.  — Its  Cliaraffor.  — 'Drainasc  in  the 
Provinces  of  Sao  Paulo  ami  Parana  to  tlie  Westward.  —  IOa>t\vanl-tio\\in"' 
Streams  of  no  Importance.  —  The  Sao  Paulo  Kailroail.  —  Dcseri]ition  of  the 
Country,  alon;,''  the  Railway  lietween  Santos  and  Sao  Paulo  liy  Major  <).  C. 
James.  —  Gcoloiiy  of  Viiaiiity  of  Sacj  Paulo.  —  Mawe'.->  Descrijition  of  the 
(iolilMines  of  Jaragua,  and  tlie  Method  of  extracting  the  Hold.  — C'ountrv 
westward  to  Campinas.  —  Iron-Mines  at  Yjianenia  —  Serra  Arassoiava  or 
Guaracoiava.  —  Climate,  Products,  &.i:,  of  the  Province  of  Sao  Paulo.  — 
General  Topographical  Features  of  the  Province  of  I'arana',  its  Climate, 
Productions,  &c.  —  Matte  or  Paraguayan  Tea.  —  Tca-Pliuiting  in  Pra/.H.  — 
Rivers.  —  Colonics.  —  Paranagna'.  —  Coal  Basin  on  the  IJio  Tuberao  in  the 
Province  of  Santa  Catharina.  —  (Jeneral  Description  of  the  Physical  Features 
of  the  Province  and  that  of  R\o  Grande  do  Sul.  —  History  of  the  Coal-Mines 
of  Brazil.— Observations  of  Perigot,  Bouleich,  Avi^-Lallemunt,  Plant,  ^<:c. — 
De.-criptiou  of  the  Coal-Fields  of  the  Hiver  Jagu.irao.  —  Engineer  McGintv's 
Report  on  the  Candiota  Coal.  —  Coal  Basin  on  Hio  Sao  Scpe.  —Basin  near 
Sao  Jeronymo. 

The  so-called  Serra  do  ^far,  seen  in  sailing  along  the  coast 
of  the  Provinces  of  Sao  Paulo  and  Parana,  is  the  edge  of  tlie 
great  Brazilian  })lateau,  which  along  the  coast  of  Sao  Paulo 
has  a  height  of  2,500  -  3,000  feet.*  Towards  tlic  sea  it  pre- 
sents a  very  steep  declivity,  hut  on  the  opposite  side  there  is 
no  corresponding  slope.  Climbing  the  serra  at  Santos,  one 
liiulsliimself  on  an  immense  table-land  of  gneiss,  rougliencd 
'a'  a  line  of  considerable  hills  a  few  miles  from  its  edge,  but 

*  Mawc  estimated  the  height  of  the  plateau  on  the  Santos  and  Suo  Paulo 
rnad  at  fi.ooo  feet. 

Vol.  I.  22 


i) 


06 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


soon  growing  gradually  lower  in  going  westward,  until  at 
Cajni>inas  l)roud  plains  arc  rcacheil,  that  stretch  off  wiih 
more  or  less  interruption  toward  the  Parana,  tying  iu 
with  the  great  jdains  of  Paraguay  and  the  Argentine  Iit.- 
publie.  The  united  provinces  oi'  Sao  Paulo  and  Parana 
lie,  like  Ohio  in  North  America,  on  the  western  slope  nf 
the  Ijorder  of  the  great  interior  continental  Itasin  of  Sniiili 
America.  As  the  hluff  edge  of  the  plateau  so  nearly  cuiii- 
cides  with  the  coast  line,  the  drainage  in  these  two  prov- 
mces  is  i)rincipally  westward  into  the  Parana,  while  tlic 
rivers  flowing  eastward  are  of  very  little  importance.  The 
])rovince  of  Santa  Catharina,  just  south  of  Parana,  lirs 
partly  on  the  seaward  side  of  the  serra  and  partly  beiiiiid 
it.  The  streams  flowing  eastward  are  of  no  importauco, 
while  those  flowing  westward  form  the  head-waters  of  the 
Uruguay.  South  of  the  province  of  Parana  the  water-slicd 
bends  inland  some  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  and  then 
runs  southward  through  the  province  of  Rio  Grande  tlo 
Sul,  ending  as  the  high  lands  break  down  and  disa})pear 
on  approaching  the  Hio  de  la  Plata. 

The  city  of  Sao  Paulo,  the  capital  of  the  ])rovince  of 
the  same  name,  is  situated  on  the  top  of  tlie  jJatean, 
at  a  distance  of  forty-five  miles  from  the  sea.  The  i»rin- 
cipal  port  of  the  province  is  Santos,  a  considerable  town 
of  some  7,000  inhabitants,  and  noted  for  its  export  of 
coffee,  which  reaches  160,000  sacks  yearly.  From  fliis 
place  to  Sao  Paulo  runs  a  railway,  which  is  continued  west- 
ward beyond  Campinas.  This  railway  was  constructed  by 
American  engineers,  and  my  friend,  'Mn]ov  O.  C.  James,* 
was  one  of  the  corps.     On  my  last  voyage,  while  at  Rio,  I 

*  I  wish  I  could  fully  express  my  indebtedness  to  Major  James :  I  owe  him  a 
thousand  acknowledgments  for  his  kindness. 


Wli 


PROVINCKS   SOUTH   OF   KIO. 


"'07 


nes :  I  owe  him  a 


olitaincd  so  many  facts  of  interest  from  him  with  reference 
to  the  topography  and  geoh)gy  of  t?rio  raulu,  that,  as  he  was 
altout  to  return  to  Sao  Paulo,  1  aslced  him  to  nuikc  obser- 
vations on  the  surface  deposits  along  the  line  of  railway, 
which  he  did,  furnishing  me  with  a  rejiort,  from  which 
nearly  all  the  facts  relating  to  the  route  of  the  railway  luive 
been  taken.  Major  James  says  that  Santos  is  "  within  a 
league  or  two  of  the  foot  of  the  great  back-ljone  of  moun- 
tains,—  a  league  or  two  of  soft,  oozy  mud,  a  few  feet  al)ove 
the  sea,-level,  the  base  of  a  sort  of  estuary,  of  which  the 
spur  and  main  range  form  the  bounds.  This  interlying 
marsh  or  lagoon  is  overgrown  with  very  shabliy  palms, 
large  moss-covered  trees,  looking  like  spectres  in  the  land- 
sca})e,  and  with  a  very  heavy,  tangled  undergrowth,  — 
lazy,  sinuous  lines  of  water,  having  their  beginnings  and 
endings  in  the  sea,  traverse  it,  as  if  it  were  just  for  a 
stroll  inland  beneath  the  uml)rageous  foliage  and  ])ack 
again  to  the  ocean  refreshed."  *  Just  before  the  railroad 
reaches  the  base  of  the  serra  the  mud  is  left,  and  a  broad 
liaiid  of  gravel  is  crossed.  This  lies  at  a  higher  level  than 
the  nuid,  and  appears  to  slope  away  from  the  serra.  The 
materials  are  very  coarse,  and  there  were  no  sands  seen. 
Major  James  says:  "We  dug  into  it  ten  feet  or  so,  to 
get  gravel  for  ballast.  There  arc  no  shells  in  it.  The 
height  above  sea-level  is  not  great,  — say  ten  or  twelve 
feet,  not  more  than  twenty."  This  deposit  evidently  corre- 
sponds to  the  raised  beaches  of  Rio  and  northward. 

A  few  small  streams  flow  into  the  estuary,  and  the  rail- 
road follows  one  of  these  until  a  deep  gorge  in  the  moun- 
tain is  reached,  —  a  gorge  formed  by  two  spurs  jutting  out  at 
light  angles  to  the  line  of  the  serra,  placed  ^•'■'e  abutments 

*  It  is  hardlj'  necessary  to  add  that  the  locality  is  very  unliealtliy. 


508 


GKOLOGY   AND   niYSICAL   GKOGKArilY. 


to  .sn])j)ort  tlie  niouutaiii.  'r.ikinu:  tlic  sonlheni  slope  oCili' 
noi-llKTii  spill-,  the  railway  cro('i)S  up  at  an  anjjlc  (tf  mi,'  in 
leu  until  it  readies  the  suiumit,  live  miles  IVoiu  the  pluln. 
having  attaiiK.'d   an  elevation   of  twenty-six  huiuhvd  I'ccf, 


CUTTING   ON   TIIK   SAO   PAULO    KAII-WAY.    SIIOWIXG    DKIFT    LYING   ON    DLCDM- 

I'OSKD    HoClv.* 

BcgMuuinir  near  the  font  of  the  serra,  an  cxaniinatioii  nf 
some  of.thc  cuttings  throutih  the  massive  corrugations  nl'tlio 
hillside  reveals  a  yellow  unstratified  clay,t  not  very  e(»in|i;i('t, 
interspersed  with  pebbles,  stones,  and  rocks,  nearly  all  \\t-'U 

*  The  ck'composed  rock  is  seen  jijnllicd  away  underneath  the  drift. 

t  Major  James  says  that  this  is  generally  the  color  of  the  drift-"1ay  even  to  its 
wluile  lU'pth.  He  eom])ares  the  drift-paste  on  tlic  Silo  Paulo  Hailroitil  on  tln' 
>lopc  of  the  serra  to  that  exposed  in  the  deep  cuttinff  near  Kodcio  on  tii-' 
Doin  l'e(iro  ScL'nndo  Railroad.  At  Silo  Paulo,  however,  it  is  more  red.  a-  «o 
shall  presently  see. 


rK(n'iNci:s  south  or  kio. 


."DO 


'IXG   ON    F)l;(  OM- 


roumlc'd,  overlying  tlie  rock  In  sih'i,  a  (Ifcomiiosod  ii'iieiss. 
Hero  and  llicn.'  in  a  ll'w  cuttiiiii's  a  thin  sheet  of  jieldiles  may 
lie  traced  hctwocn  the  yellow  (lay  and  the  roek,  losing;  itseU" 
now  and  then.  This  desciMptioii  will  aj»|ily  ,ueiieially  to  all 
liie  cutting's  except  a  lew  where  the  excavation  is  made 
tliiough  partially  decuiuposed  rock. 

Ma/ior  James  iiitbrms  me  that  the  clay  is  thicker  on  the  (oji 
ul"  the  rihs  or  corrugations  ol'  the  hills  cut  through  liy  the 
railroad  than  on  the  sides,  which  is  (nving  to  the  demidatiou 
of  the  slopes.  This  clay  sheet  may  he  lll'ty  or  moi'C  feel  in 
thickness.  On  reaching  the  top  of  tiie  serra  one  hiuls  him- 
self on  an  elevated  country,  a  taljle-land  diversitled  hy  hill 
and  valley,  the  hills  heing  generally  low  and  I'oinuled,  the 
valleys  wide  antl  with  a  luxuriant  vegetal  ion  (lourishing  on 
marsh}  bottoms.  On  the  old  nude-road  near  the  edge  of  the 
]ilateau  the  country  is  gently  rolling,  and  for  some  eight  or 
nine  miles  the  soil,  when  not  covered  l)y  a  sparse  vegeta- 
liou,  is  of  a  gray  color,  and  j)resents  a  dreary  asjX'ct.  On 
the  surface  is  a  layer  of  white  sand,  only  two  or  three;  inches 
in  thickness  generally,  hut  when  drifted  of  course  more. 
I'ndcr  the  sand  is  an  almost  white  clay,  of  ahout  the  same 
consistence  as  potter's  clay.  Ad()])0  houses  huilt  with  it  ai'O 
iieai'ly  white.  Under  this  is  the  drift,  which  is  exposed  in 
tlie  hanks  of  the  Rio  das  Pedras,  that  flows  through  this 
tract  and  runs  toward  th.e  coast.  The  highest  point  in  the 
>*ciia  is  to  the  west  of  this  region. 

Near  Tamanduatahy  the  land  spreads  out  hetwoeu  the 
liiUs  level  as  a  lake,  and  al)Out  two  miles  wide,  covered  with 
4eep  layers  of  hlack  soil,  which  Major  James  descrihes  as 
"■  fil irons  and  woody  like  peat."  lie  informs  me  that  the  rail- 
read  was  huilt  over  the  surface  of  this  hog,  and  he  did  \\v>t 
blow  what  kind  of  a  soil  underlay  it,  but  he  felt  satisfied 


ilO 


GKOLOGY   AND   I'HYSICAL   GKOCIJAl'UV. 


tluit  it  ()f'CMi]ii(.Ml  a  shallow  valley  in  the  drift,  which  he  hc- 
liovcd  cxtciulLMl  undorncatli.  IJcyond  this  air  some  cu(tiiit:s 
throiiji'h  hi<^iu'r  (n'oiiiid,  in  wliich  the  reddish  dril't-|iasti'. 
nearly  one  luniuiod  feet  in  thiekness,  is  cnt  throniih.  In  lliis 
clay  are  "hitnlders  like  those  of  the  serra,  of  a  vei-y  Imid. 
blnish-gray  rock  scattered  thronji'h  the  h)osc  material,  iiml 
in  one  oi-  two  instances  ex])Oscd  on  the  surface. '" 

The  city  of  Sao  Paulo  lies  at  a  distance  of  forty-five  miles 
from  Santos.  It  is  a  lartz'c  nnd  iinportant  city  of  2(>,(mi(i 
inhabitants  l)uilt  on  liijih  g'n  id,  nearly  surrounded  liy  ii 
low  plain,  through  which  flows,  on  the  west,  the  rivci' 
T\ct6,  one  of  the  aflluents  of  the  Parana.  Acc(irdiiig  in 
Mawc.  the  hill  on  which  Sao  Paulo  is  Ijuilt  consists  of  tlir 
following  deposits  in  descending  order.  First  of  all,  a  coat- 
ing of  red  soil  more  or  less  thick,  impregnated  with  iiMii 
oxide  ;  under  this  is  sand,  together  with  other  materials 
associated  with  ])ebbles,  the  whole  being  from  three  to  six 
feet  thick.  Uuder  this  comes  a  layer  of  ])urplish  or  varie- 
gated clay,  with  thin  layers  of  sand  ;  then  follows  a  layer  of 
stratified  materials,  the  whole  resting  on  decomposed  giieiss- 
granitc.*  At  Itii,  a  short  distance  from  Sao  Paulo,  the  Kio 
Tietd  is  represented  by  Major  James  as  cutting  through  hori- 
zontal deposits  of  red  sandstone  and  conglomerate,  and  tiiis 
is  the  material  which  is  used  to  jiave  the  streets  of  (he 
capital  ;  as  Fletcher  and  Mawe  have  remarked,  the  rock 
contains  gold.f 

*  M.  Pissis  pivcs  a  similar  description  of  the  deposit,  .and  illustrates  it  l.y  a 
section.  He  calls  the  horizontal  dcjiosits  of  Sao  Paulo  and  Itii  fre;-h-\\ Jiter  ter- 
tiary, and  s.ays  that  a  similar  lacustrine  deposit  occnrs  in  the  upper  part  of 
the  valley  of  the  Parahyba  do  Sul.     {^f('ln.  <h'  rinstitutr  de  Franrr,  Vol.  X.) 

t  Mawe  (American  edition,  p.  7.T),  speaking  of  the  streets  of  Silo  I'aiilo, 
says  :  "  The  material  with  which  they  arc  paved  is  lamillary  grit  stone,  ceiiientcii 
with  oxide  of  iron,  and  containing  large  pebbles  of  rounded  quartz,  apinuxi- 


PROVINCKS   SOUTH   OF   RIO. 


r.ii 


wllicll    lie  lie- 
■iOlllC  CU(tillL:> 

ii  <ii'irt-j)iistc. 

)udi.    Ill  tlii> 

Ji  very  liiiiil. 

nmlcriiil,  ami 

n'ly-rivc  mill's 

iity  of  2(»,(HMi 

•(Hilldod    iiy  ii 

st,  the    i'i\cr 

Accord  ill  If  tn 

insists  ol'  till' 

of  all,  a  cuat- 

0(1  with   irmi 

ler  materials 

three  to  six 

lish  or  vaii"- 

\vs  a  layer  of 

|)osed  giH'iss- 

atilo,  the  Kio 

trough  liori- 

ate,  and  this 

reets  of  the 

xl,  tlic  rock 


llustratcs  it  liv  ;i 

fVoli-wMter  tcr- 

ic  iij)in'r  ]iiirt  of 

nr,;  Vol.  X.) 

of  Sfio  I'iiiilo, 

stone,  coiiioiitcii 

[Miirtz,  ai^pi'uxi- 


Westward  of  Sao  Paulo  ar(>  some  high  hills  ;  the  most 
cunspicuous  among  whicdi  is  .laragna,  in  whose  vicinity 
liold-mines  were  anciently  worked. 

Mr.  ^hiwe,  during  his  travels  in  r>ra/il,  visited  these  gold- 
mines, asid  described  them  in  his  ''Travels  in  the  interior 
III"  i5ri\/il.'"  1  am  unable  to  refer  to  the  English  edition,  hut 
i  translate  a  few  paragraphs  from  a  French  abstract,*  siuc(> 
it  gives  very  neatly  the  mode  of  occurrence  of  the  gold  and 
the  ancient  method  of  extracting  it. 

After  speaking  of  the  discoveries  made  by  tlie  rnulistas. 
lie  goes  on  to  say  :  — 

"The  gold-miiios  cf  Jaraguil,  hohig  situated  at  a  distance  of 
fniir  leagues  from  Sao  Paulo,  were  the  first  that  were;  (hscovrrril. 
This  part  of  the  country  i;;  unc(iual  and  inonutuiuou.s.  Tlie  rock 
tunning  the  princi])al  l)ase  of  tlie  soil  rarely  ever  shows  itself,  it 
appears  to  be  a  granite  f  passing  into  gneiss. 

"This  primitive  roek  is  immediately  covered  over  in  many  points 
by  a  bed  of  a  not  very  solid  agglomeration,  formed  principally  of 
pel  lilies  of  cpiartz  and  gravel.  This  itself  is  covered  only  by  the 
vi';4L'table  earth. 

"  It  is  this  conglomerate  that  is  intermingled  with  grains  of 
L'lilil.     They  give  it  the  name  of  cascal/io.l 

"  The  mining  takes  place  in  open  cuttings,  and  the  extraction 
nt'  the  gold  is  carried  on  by  washing ;  negroes  are  employed  iu 
this  work. 

niatinof  to  the  conjrlomcratc.     This  pavement  is  an  alluvial  formation,  rontain- 

inL:  i:ol(l,  many  particles  of  whieh  metal  are  foiiml  in  the  I'liink-  and  hollows, 

dftiT  heavy  rains,  and  at  such  seasons  are  diligently  sou{,^ht  fur  hy  the  poorer 

5ort  of  peo])le." 

Sir  also  Spix  and  Martins,  "  Travels  in  Brazil,"  Enf:lish  Translation,  Lon- 
(Imi,  p.  '21. 

*  Annaks  des  Mines,  1817,  Vol.  II.  p.  202. 

t  In  the  German  edition   Mawe  describes  the  gneiss  as  containinj^   some 
liurnlilende  and  an  aliundanee  of  mica. 
}  Mawe,  iu  the  original  l-jnglisli  edition  says,  rnsralhao. 


il2 


GEOLOGY   AND   TIIYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


"  When  a  current  of  water  can  be  found  wliose  level  is  suft,- 
ciontly  elevated,  stejjs  are  cut  in  the  earth,  each  twenty  to  thirtv 
feet  long,  two  or  three  wide,  and  a  foot  in  height.  At  the  Imm; 
a  trench  two  or  three  feet  deep  is  dug. 

"  On  each  step  arc  placed  six  or  eight  negroes,  wh(i,  us  th  ■ 
water  slowly  descends  from  above,  stir  up  continually  the  uartli 
with  shovels,  until  it  is  all  converted  into  a  liquid  mud  and  lai'- 
ried  lower  down. 

*'  The  particles  of  gold  contained  in  the  soil  descend  into  the 
lower  cutting  at  the  bottom,  to  wliich  they  soon  settle  bocaiiso 
of  their  greater  specific  gi'avity.  The  workmen  are  '•ontiuually 
employed  in  removing  the  stones  from  the  ditch,  and  m  oleaiiiiii; 
the  surface,  an  operation  which  is  facilitated  by  the  current  ui' 
water  which  falls  thc^'c.  After  five  davs  of  washing  thev  remove 
the  sediment  from  the  bottom  of  the  cutting.  It  is  of  a  deep 
carbonaceous  tint,  and  composed  of  iron  oxide,  pyrites,  ferruginous 
quartz,  and  scales  of  gold. 

"  This  sediment  is  transported  to  another  current  of  water,  there 
to  imdergo  another  washing  operation.  For  this  purpose  fiuiiiel- 
shaped  wooden  bowls  or  gamellax,  two  feet  large  at  the  mouth  and 
five  or  six  inches  deep,  are  used.  Each  workman,  standing  upi'iuht 
in  the  brook,  takes  about  five  or  six  pounds  of  the  auriferous  sedi- 
ment in  his  gamella.  He  then  causes  a  certain  quantity  of  MiUer 
to  enter,  and  agitates  it  with  dexterity,  in  siich  a  way  that  the  scales 
of  gold  soon  fall  to  the  bottom  and  on  the  sides  of  the  vessel, 
miiting  themselves  together  and  scpai'<ating  from  the  other  lighter 
substances,  which  the  water  holds  in  suspension  and  carries  away 
little  by  little  with  it.  He  then  rinses  the  gamella  in  annthti- 
of  larger  size,  full  of  water.  The  gold  is  deposited  there,  and  he 
reconnnences  a  similar  operation.  The  washing  of  a  gamella  takes 
eight  to  nine  minutes. 

"  The  gold  taken  out  varies  in  the  lunnber  and  the  si/o  of 
the  scales  ;  some  are  so  small  that  they  float,  while  others  are 
as  large  as  peas  and  even  larger. 


ri!OviNci:s  south  of  hio. 


:.i:; 


"This  operation,  of  which  tlio  result  is  of  the  greatest  impdr- 
tiince,  is  watched  by  inspectors.  The  gold-dust  is  cai-ried  to  a 
mint,  where  the  impost  of  the  fifth  is  taken  out  and  the  rest 
melted 

"  The  mines  of  Jaragmt  have  been  flimous  for  two  centuries  for 
their  great  yield.  This  district  was  regarded  as  the  Peru  of 
Brazil  ;*  but  its  riches  are  to-day  infinitely  less." 

The  occiUTcncG  of  gold  in  the  gneiss  regions  of  the  Sorru 
do  Mar,  at  Sao  Panlo  and  Cantagallo  and  in  the  saniL' 
cuzoic  belt  on  the  Miienry,  as  rejxn'ted  l)y  the  cngincor 
Schiebcr,  is  interesting,  as  tlicse  roelcs  arc  rarely  e\cr  lii  h 
in  the  i)rccious  metal,  and  the  -whule  gneiss  lielt  of  Iha/.H 
is  remarkably  barren  of  metalliferous  dejiosits  of  all  kinds. 

I'j.l  is  said  to  ocem*  in  the  A'illa  de  (Juarajtnava,  t(j  the 
^v      jf  the  river  Tibaji  and  elsewhere  in  the  ju'ovince. 

ajor  James  reports  that  the  euttings  beyond  tiie  Tieto 
Si    sv  the  line  of  pebbles  and  stones  overlying  the  I'oek. 

The  high  hill  called  Cabellos  brancos  is  bare  of  soil  finl 
vegetation  on  top,  whence  the  nanicf 

At  Jundiahy,  according  to  Major  James,  the  rounded  hills 
are  nearly  bodily  composed  of  the  nnstratified  paste.  Imt 
behind  the  station  the  line  of  i)ebbles  may  be  distinctly 
traced,  like  a  thin  sheet  or  veil  over  the  rock.  A  few 
leagues  farther  on,  near  Campinas,  the  country  becomes  less 
nigged,  —  one  might  say  it  is  heavily  nndtdating,—  and  here 
from  a  slight  eminence  tlu;  gradual  descent  into  the  great 
bashi  of  the  interior  is  plainly  i)ercei)tible.     The  hills  arc 

*  Pompeo  savs  that  die  gold-minos  of  Sun  I'milo  ]ii-oiliicc(l.  \\\>  tn  tlio  licuin- 
iiiriLr  of  die  present  century,  4,G5()  iirrobas  of  p)]il.     (  Grii/niji/iin.  p.  4S0.) 

t  Von  Tschudi,  Vol.  III.  p.  a.",!  :  "  Sie  fiilirt  Hiren  Xanioii  '  Das  j^ebir-c 
di's  weissen  Ilaarcs,'  weil  der  Kamm  wiihreml  iler  kaltt'n  ,IalirL'>/.i.'it  in  diii 
Fiiilistuiule  oft  niit  llnf  \wdwkt  i>t." 

'22*  OO 


oU 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGHAPHV. 


now  coinj)ij^od  of  a  very  dark-red  ferruginous  earth  resem- 
l)ling  ingrain  coarse  l)r(jvvn  sugar;  a  mass  s(|ueczed  by  tlic 
hand  retains  the  impress  of  the  pahn.  Major  James  says 
that  "  travelk'rs  in  dry  weather  get  to  hjok  like  Indians  1  " 
This  earlli  goes  l)y  the  name  of  terra  roxa*  I'he  tena 
roxa  of  Camjtinas  Paulo  is,  according  to  Major  James,  the 
continuation  of  the  drift-paste  of  the  higher  hinds  ami 
seaward  slope  of  the  serra.  It  varies  much  in  thickness, 
and  lies  usually  on  the  tops  of  ridges  between  the  ri\(is, 
not  descending  into  the  valleys,  Avhich,  as  in  the  basin  of 
the  Ji'(iuitinhonha,  arc  very  deep,  steep-sided,  and  niirrow. 
This  red  earth  forms  a  most  fertile  soil,  and  the  country 
covered  l)y  it  is  clothed  by  an  exceedingly  luxuriant  veg- 
etation. Bamboos  are  very  numerous,  but  there  are  wvy 
few  cacti.  Xo  soil  is  l)ctter  suited  to  the  coffee-tree,  and 
in  this  i)art  of  the  country  it  is  extensively  cultivated  on 
the  u])])er  lands,  but  never  on  the  slopes  or  on  the  intervales. 
The  terra  roxa  rarely  ever  contains  {jebbles.  It  lies  on 
horizontal  beds,  which,  according  to  my  friend,  consist  of'  a 
soft  frial)le  rock,  generally  of  a  light-gray  color,  often  hard 
and  laminated  like  that  used  for  flagging  our  sidewalks: 
sometimes  it  is  a  red  sandstone,  very  soft ;  this  latter  is 
what  Fletcher  says  Sao  Paulo  is  paved  with."  This  snnie 
material  forms  the  great  plain  extending  west  to  .Slo  Joao 
do  Rio  Claro,  and,  as  I  have  already  remarked,  tying  in 
with  the  formation  of  the  j)lains  of  the  Parana  and  ihc 
south.  This  formation  I  believe  to  be  the  same  as  that 
occui)ying  the  valley  of  the  Jequitiidionha,  and  which  1  have 
referred  to  the  tertiary. f 

*  Litcially,  deep-rod  earth;  the  ordinary  red  soil  of  liio  goes  by  the  name  of 
barro  rcrmelho. 

t  SiiH'c  writinir  the  above  I  have  received  from  ^lajor  James  a  sjucimcn  of 
this  roek,  wliicii  is  precisely  like  the  clayey  sandstone  of  the  chapadas  of  the 
Jequitinhonha. 


TROVINCES   SOUTH   OF   RIO. 


;i; 


OlO 


by  the  naino  of 


At  Sao  Joiio  dc  IpauOnia,  near  Sorocal)a  and  about  twenty 
Iciigiics  southwest  of  Sao  Paulo,  there  are  l)eds  of  sandstone 
and  limestone  assoeiated  with  diorites  and  porphyry,  with 
iieavy  deposits  of  magnetie  iron  ore.*  This  ore  is  mined  . 
U)  a  considerable  extent,  and  is  smelted  almost  on  the 
si)ot. 

Von  Esehwcg'O  says  that  the  sandstones  arc  modern- 
secondary. f  I  would  suggest  a  comparison  between  them 
and  the  sandstone  and  iron  deposits  of  the  Siio  Francisco 
River,  descriljed  by  ]]nrton. 

These  iron  deposits  were  discovered  in  loTS  by  one 
Affonso  Sardinha,  who  is  said  to  have  found  at  the 
.same  time  J  "  a  vein  of  silver  (?),  of  whose  c.\  I'aetion  the 
i!()vernment  took  charge  ;  but  as  the  cxi)ensc  was  gi-eat 
all  was  soon  al)andoned,  and  these  sites  remained  unpeopleil 
until  180-),  an  epoch  in  which  some  naturalists,  exploring 
the  serras  of  the  district  of  Sorocaba,  came  to  recognize  the 
true  importance  of  the  iron-nunes  of  Guaracoiava.  After 
seven  years  the  prince-regent  brought  over  from  Sweden,  at 
no  small  expense,  a  company  of  miners,  under  the  direction 
of  an  individual  of  the  same  nation,  named  Tledlierg,  who 
set  up  four  forges,  which,  owing  to  their  bad  arrangement, 
were  of  no  service In  181")  new  forges  were  con- 
structed by  order  of  the  same  prince,  together  with  •dfabrica 
on  a  larger  scale  than  the  first,  and  the  Count  of  Palma  .... 
was  charged  with  the  direction  of  the  work  of  the  engineers 
and  the  superintendence  of  everything.  This  governor  or- 
dered two  enormous  furnaces  to  be  btiilt  beside  those  which 

*  A  collection  of  spcciiricns  from  this  locality  inuile  by  Olfor  existed  in  18:2S 
in  the  Konif^l.  Mineralo;:ische  Museum  at  Berlin. 
'•  Arm.  (l(X  Minpx,  8™«  Vol.  182.T,  p.  405. 
I  l)ic.  Gewj.,  art.  iiCio  Jum  d'llipaiu'ma. 


51G 


GEOLOGY   AND    PHYSICAL    GKOGRAPIIY. 


still  cxii^tod."  *  "  The  iron  manufactured  is  excellent,  ami 
the  ore  gives  fifty  to  eighty-five  ])ounds  of  metal  to  ilic 
(quintal.  At  present  there  are  two  high  furnaces  mcasuiiiin 
eight  metres  in  height,  i)roducing  regularly  3,000  kilo- 
grammes of  east-iron  in  twenty-four  hours  with  uninli'i- 
rui)ted  W(n-k." 

The  region  in  which  these  iron-works  arc  situated  is  cov- 
ered with  forest,  and  wood  is  the  fuel  use<l.  The  flux  ciu- 
ploycd  is  limestone  and  diorite.  In  the  immediate  viciii'iv 
of  the  furnaces  is  found  an  excellent  quality  of  sandstone 
of  which  a  refractory  kind  is  emjdoyed  in  the  lining  of  tin 
furnaces. 

The  serra  Araassojava  (Guara(;oiava),  according  to  S|)ix 
and  Martius,t  is  an  isolated  ridge,  ahout  one  thousand  fcot 
high  ahovc  the  level  of  the  river  Ipaneina,  and  a  league  in 
Icimth  from  north  to  S(juth.  The  ore  occurs  in  a  laruc  dc- 
posit,  and  our  authors  speak  of  seeing  a  mass  of  it  fmiy 
feet  perpendicular.  It  is  associated  with  a  yellow  siind- 
stonc  with  a  scanty  argillaceous  cement,  and  a  cliiv  slatf 
or  shale  of  a  dirty  lavender  color.  Its  strike  is  east-west. 
In  the  same  hill  a  porous  quartz  rock  of  a  light-iirowii  color 
Avas  ohscrved,  containing  light-hluc  chalcedony.  On  the  liio 
Tiete  at  Araraitaguaha  Ppix  and  Martms  report  a  sandstone 
similar  to  that  of  Ipanema. 

The  soils  of  the  Province  of  Pao  Paulo  arc  exceedingly 
fertile,  and  the  climate  is  favorahle  to  the  growth  especially 
of  coffee,  sugar,  and  tohacco.  Coffee  flourishes  exceedingly 
Avell  on  the  campinas  west  of  Sao  Paulo,  and  it  is  j)r()1iiilile 
that  there  is  no  more  valuahle  cotTec  region  in  IJra/il.  'Hi'' 
climate  is  so  mild  in  the  vicinity  of  the  city  of  Sao  Paulo 

*   Ciitnhnn  (hi  Si';/>iinf(i  Exjiosici'io  \acioiml  de  18G6,  p   0'.). 
t  AV/*e,  Vol.  I.  pp.  2.5.3,  254. 


PROVINCES   SOUTH   OF   RIO. 


r.i7 


that  many  European  ])lants  may  1)0  successfully  raised,  siu'h 
as  flax,  ^vhcat,  the  vine,  peaches,  ttc,  ttc.  The  climate  on 
the  higher  lands  is  very  healthy  and  agreeahle,  and  well 
suited  to  Eiiroi)eans.  The  province  has  now  nearly  S00,000 
inhabitants,  and  counts  a  considerable  nunil)er  of  ilourishiug 
towns.  There  arc  some  German  colonists  in  the  province, 
and  1  understand  that  a  consideraljle  numl)er  oC  Americans 
iVom  the  Southern  States  have  settled  there. 

The  Province  of  Parana,  which  lies  just  south  of  that  of 
Sao  Paulo,  has  very  nearly  the  same  to[)ographit;al  features, 
licing  low  along  the  coast,  rising  more  or  less  steeply  to 
the  summit  of  the  plateau,  and  then  sloping  off  towards  the 
Parana  in  extensive  campinas.  The  capital  is  Curitilia, 
situated,  like  Sao  Paulo,  at  some  distance  west  of  the  edge 
of  the  plateau.  The  greater  [lart  of  the  country  is  covered 
liv  heavv  forests,  thouuh  in  the  northwest  there  arc  extensive 
plains.  An  important  business  of  the  })rovince  consists  in 
the  raising  of  cattle,  of  which  large  numbers  are  exported. 
Coffee,  cotton,  potatoes,  sugar-cane,  Indian  coi'u,  wheat,  veg- 
etables of  different  kinds,  &c.,  are  cultivated  to  a  consider- 
able extent.  The  '-'■herva  matc^'  or  malle  of  the  Brazilians, 
—  Ilex  parag-uayciisis,  or  Paraguayan  tea,  largely  grown  in 
the  Paraguayan  repuljlic,  and  used  hi  lieu  of  Chinese  tea, — 
is  grown  in  large  quantities  and  forms  an  article  of  export. 
Bousquet*  says  that  the  Chinese  tea  grows  well,  but  that  it 
is  not  as  yet  much  cultivated.  Tea  will  al^o  grow  at  Rio, 
Siio  Paulo,  and  elsewhere  in  the  south.  Bous([uet  s)»eaks 
of  the  vanilla  as  growing  si)ontaneously  in  the  vicinity  of 
Paranagua.  The  province  has  never  been  explored  by  a 
competent  modern  geologist.    It  is  just  possible,  as  admitted 

*  Note  sur  la  Province  de  Parana,  pur  ^I.  Boiisqiiut,  Bull,  dc  la  Svciili-  dc 
Gcufjntphie,  5""  Scrie,  T.  9,  p.  528. 


k 


518 


GKOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


by  Mr.  Plant,  that  coal  may  be  found  on  tlic  low  lands 
bctwccMi  the  Scrra  do  Mar,  or  Cnl)atao,  as  it  is  connnonlv 
called  in  Parana,  and  the  sea.  ]>ons(|uet  says  native  nior- 
cnry  occurs  near  Paraiuagiui.  Gold  and  diamonds  are  found 
on  the  bordors  of  the  Rio  Tibagy.* 

This  ])ro\ince,  like  Sao  Paulo,  is  well  Avaicrcd  1)}  lui-yo 
streams.  Pctwcen  the  two  i)rovinccs  runs  the  Paraim- 
panema,  on  the  west  is  the  Parana  and  to  tV  ;  south  the 
Uruguay,  Avliile  the  Ivahy  and  Tibagy,  both  rivers  navigable 
for  canoes,!  run  through  the  ])rovincc,  one  cmi»tying  into 
the  Paranapanema  and  the  other  into  the  Parana.  Tlio 
Parana  is  navigable  for  about  ninety  leagues  from  the  falls 
of  Urubuj)unga  in  the  Province  of  Goyaz  to  nearly  oppc^site 
the  Tiete  in  Sao  Paulo,  Avherc  navigation  ends  at  the  island 
of  Sete  Quedas.  The  Salto  Grande  on  the  Parana  is  de- 
scribed as  being  comparable  to  the  Caxoeira  de  Paulo 
Affonso. 

So  far  as  water  highways  are  concerned,  the  province  is 
well  furnished. 

There  is  a  little  Brazilian-French  colony,  called  Santa  The- 
resa, established  on  the  Ivahy,  and  another  colony  of  sonic 
five  hundred  inhabitants,  called  Su])eraguy,  near  Paranagua, 
of  which  the  inhabitants  support  themselves  by  agriculture 
and  fishing. 

The  seaport  of  the  province  i  Paranagud,  a  considerable 
town,  situated  on  a  large  and  beautiful  bay  which  forms  an 
excellent  and  spacious  harbor. 

The  province  of  Santa  Catharina  lies  just  south  of  Parana. 
It  is  one  of  the  most  fertile  of  the  provinces  of  Brazil,  and  is 


*  Olivoira,  E.qtlora^iio  de  Mineraes,  p.  11. 

\  Vorekcr  "  On  Brazilian  Province  of  Parma,"  Jour.  lloy.  Gcog.  Soc-.,  \^ 
XXXII.  ]..  1'37. 


PROVIXCF.S   SOUTH   OF  RIO. 


1 19 


c  province  is 


Gcogr.  Sop.,  Vol, 


l.lossed  with  a  delightful  and  tenijK'ratL'  climate;  hut  except 
iiu  the  scacuast  it  is  not  well  settled,  and  the  ])opulation  is 
})iuhahly  not  more  than  l.")0,000.  The  capital  is  Dcsterro,  a 
lai'iic  town,  delightfully  situated  on  the  western  side  of  the 
island  of  .Santa  Cathaiina.  There  are  several  flourishing 
colonics  in  the  province. 

Uetween  the  edge  of  the  plateau  and  the  sea  there  exists 
ill  Santa  Catharina  a  c(xd-l)asin,  in  which  alonu'  the  hanks 
uf  the  Rio  Tuberao  beds  of  bituminous  coal  of  fair  quality 
are  exposed.  The  Visconde  de  IJarbacena  is  interested  in 
the  develoimient  of  this  region,  and  we  may  hoi)e  erelong  to 
SL'C  bome  results  oi'  his  labors.  1  am  not  aware  that  any 
ivport  on  this  field  has  yet  Ijcen  published.  I  understand 
that  the  coal-beds  lie  quite  flat,  as  elsewhere  to  the  south. 

The  Province  of  Rio  Grande  do  Sul  is  the  most  soutli- 
cni  of  Brazil,  lying  just  north  of  Uruguay,  and  situated  be- 
tween 27°  50'  and  oo°  4.7  south  latitude.  :Much  of  the 
country  is  hilly,  i)articularly  in  the  eastern  and  ntn'therii 
lioi'tions,  but  towards  the  west  and  south  it  consists  of  plains 
Lovered  with  hcrl)s  and  forming  the  pasture-grounds  of  herds 
iif  cattle.  The  northern  and  eastern  portion  is  more  or  less 
heavily  wooded.  The  interior  has  never,  so  far  as  I  can 
learn,  been  scientifically  explored,  and  1  am  unable  to  find 
any  reliable  description  of  its  physical  features. 

Of  the  geology  of  the  province  we  have  little  information 
L■.^:eept  with  reference  to  the  coal-mines. 

In  an  article  in  the  Quarterly  Journal  of  Science,  No.  11, 
l.^lU,  Mr.  Edward  Hull  says  that  the  first  notice  of  the  coal 
deposits  of  the  Province  of  Rio  Grande  do  Sul  was  taker,  by 
one  Guilherme  Bouleich  in  the  year  IHOO.  This  is  not  quite 
lorrcct.*     In  May,  1858,  Dr.  Ave-Lallemant  visited  eoal- 

*  Tlie  real  discoverer  of  tlu  Brazilian  coal-fickls  was  Dr.  I'erigot,  of  Flusii- 


r.o 


20 


GKOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAl'IIY. 


mines  on  the  Arroio  dus  Rfitos,  which  were  at  that  timo 
"worked  on  a  small  scale.  lit.'  refers  t(j  an  examination  di' 
the  locality  made  sonie  time  bel'ore  by  a  Bacluirel  Vascon- 
ccllos.*  Dr.  Lalleniant  descriljes  two  horizontal  seams  of 
coal,  —  an  upper,  worked,  about  four  feet  thick  ;  a  lew  fct't 
below  this  seam  a  second  was  found  of  the  same  thickness. 
1  have  not  had  tiie  oi)j)ortunity  of  examining  specimens  of 
this  coal ;  but  1  learn  that  it  is  a  fail*  IjiUuninous  variety,  witli 
a  more  al)undant  ash  than  the  English  coals  sent  to  Rid.  Ii 
has  been  in  use  some  ten  years  on  the  steamers  of  the  Com- 
panhia  Jacuhy,  and  has  been  found  more  economical  to 
employ  it  than  the  English  coal.  That  of  the  Arroiu  dds 
Ratos  sells  for  la.ii'OOO - 17*000  (•i'G.GO- 8 8.50  Ameiicaii 
currency)  per  ton,  which,  as  we  shall  presently  sec  from  Mr. 
Plant's  rei)ort  on  the  Jaguarao  coal-field,  is  a  nuieh  Idwer 
price  than  that  of  the  Engli.sh  c<;als.  There  are  three  scji- 
arate  coal-fields  in  the  Province  of  Rio  Grande  do  Sul.f 
all  of  which  Mr.  Nathaniel  Plant  has  studied  with  care. 
This  gentleman  informs  us  that  the  basins  are  sejiaratcd 
from  one  another  by  rolling  hills  of  syenite,  mica-schi.st, 
and  granite,  together  with  trachytic  and  l)asaltie  rocks. 

The  largest  of  these  basins  is  situated  in  the  Jaguarao  and 
Candiota  valleys,  between  lat.  81°  and  32°  S.  and  long,  oo' 
and  54°  E. 

infr,  Long  Island,  who  was  ciijraircil  in  1841  by  tlie  Brazilian  frovcnimont  to 
make  ficulogioal  ol)sorvations  in  tlie  Empire.  Tiiis  gentleman  reported  tlie  ex- 
istence of  a  coal-field  in  Santa  Catliarina,  some  three  hnndred  niile.s  long  from 
north  to  south  and  twenty  to  thirty  miles  wide. 

*  Ave'-Lalleniant,  licisc  tliin-li  Sml-rinixilio)  im  Ja/ire  18.')8,  Thcil  I.  p.  478. 

t  The  Brazilian  Coal-Fiehls,  l)y  Nathaniel  Plant,  F.  K.  G.  S.,  .*ic.,  Geolo-iwl 
Magazine,  Vol.  VI.  No.  4,  April,  18G9.  I  owe  a  copy  of  thi.-*  paper  to  tho 
kindness  of  Mr.  Plant's  brother,  Mr.  .John  Plant.  Curator  of  the  I'oyal  Museiini 
of  Salford.  Much  credit  is  due  Mr.  Plant  for  his  lon<,'-continueil  cxcruoiis  m 
working  out  the  stri  e  and  limits  of  these  coal-fields,  and  for  his  jjerbistence 
in  endeavoring  to  bring  the  coal  into  market. 


piioviX'-ES  sonri  of  nio. 


r.ijl 


cd  miles  lony:  from 


M\\  Plant  presented  Professor  Auassiz  in  l^l!.')  with  a 
sliort  dewcri})tion  of  this  coal-Held,  toiivther  with  sjteeinicns 
of  rocks,  fossils,  and  coals,  which  1  have  examined.  The  fos- 
sils are  of  true  and  eharacteristie  carhonifcrous  genera,  ami 
110  donht  can  exist  as  to  the  eiiuivalency  of  the  dcjiosils.* 
1  give  Mr.  Plant's  paper  in  full.f  One  of  the  photograjihs 
nicntioned  I  have  had  engraved  as  a  frontispiece  to  this 
volume. 

I  may  add  that  ^fr.  Plant  has  heen  for  several  years  ex- 
ploring the  coal-basins  of  the  province  with  a  view  to  having 
tlieni  worked  Ijy  a  mining  company.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that 
his  etlbrts  may  be  abundantly  successful. 

Coal-Fields  of  the  River  Jxiiunran,  and  its  T'rihiif<ir!(K,  (he  Hivers 
Candiota  and  Jaguardo-chico  in  the  Province  of  Rio  (Jrnndf  do 
Sul,  Brazil. 

The  coal-basin  of  the  river  Jaguai'ao  is  situated  in  the  soutlicni 
part  of  the  province  of  Kio  Grande  do  Sul,  between  lat.  bl° 
and  32°  S.,  and  long.  324°  and  32")°  (French  meridian)  in  the 
valley  of  the  Jaguarao  and  its  tributaries,  the  rivers  Candiota 
and  Jaguarao-chico.  It  covers  an  area  of  about  fifty  miles  by 
thirty,  its  greatest  diameter  being  from  north  to  south.  The  cual 
strata  which  the  ffeolo<>-ical  section  illustrates,  and  whence  the  ac- 
cunipauying  specimens  have  been  obtained,  and  the  thickness  of 
the  beds  determined,  arc  exposed  in  an  elevated  escarpment  on  the 
hanks  of  the  river  Candiota,  at  a  place  called  "  8erra  Partida,"  X 
whore  they  appear  in  the  following  order  of  superposition  :  — 

*  Strange  to  say,  that,  after  all  the  explorations  made  of  those  coal-fields,  their 
carl  ion  iferoiis  age  was  long  in  being  recognized.  AHbnso  Malildc,  in  a  report 
niaile  to  the  president  of  Rio  Grande  do  Sul,  says  tliat  the  coal  is  a  lignite  of 
tertiary  age. 

t  This  paper  also  appears  in  Fletcher's  work  I  presume  Mr.  Plant  fur- 
nished him  with  a  duj)licate  copy  of  the  ]MS. 

t  Sec  frontispiece,  which  is  engraved  from  a  photograph  presented  to  Pro- 
tessor  Agassiz  by  Jlr.  Plant. 


r.oo 


GKOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRArilY. 


113  ft.  <^ 


Thickness 

iii)t 
cletcnniiied. 


Snil  1  ft. 


■    1.  Fcmigiiioiis  saniUtonc,  28  ft. 


2.  Conl  sll.^lc, !»  ft. 

3.  Siimlv  slmlo,  5  ft. 

4.  ('niil.".S  ft. 

5.  Wliitt,'  fussiliferous  shale,  5  ft. 

\    C    C.iiil.  11  ft. 

•    7.  rartiiij;  of  Ithie  clay. 

8.  Coal,  17  fcet. 

9.  Fossiliferous  clay,  9  ft. 

,  10.  Coal,  25  ft. 

,11.  Inin~tono  shales  with  fossil  ferns. 
12    Sainl-toiie. 

13.  LiiiiP^tone. 

14.  Mica-schist. 

15.  Mutalliferous  Iime!«tone. 


No.  1.  The  tippermost  bod  is  composed  of  sandstone  of  a  liidily 
forniginons  natni'c,  resembling  in  its  aj)poarance  tlie  "fors 
Bigarre  "  of  Europe  ;  it  contains  nodules  of  a  silicious  ponixidc 
of  iron,  yiel-'ng  from  twenty-five  to  thirty-five  per  cent  of  motal. 
It  varies  considerably  in  its  thickness,  in  some  places  being  cmii- 
pletely  worn  away,  and  in  others  attaining  a  depth  of  upwaiMs 
of  two  hundred  feet.     Immediately  below  this  occurs  a  lull. 

No.  2,  of  coal-shalo,  very  argillaceous,  and  perhaps  nnfit  foi*  fuel ; 
it  possesses  a  thickness  of  nine  feet,  and  can  be  seen  croppiiiLf 
out  wherever  the  superincumbent  bed  has  been  denuded ;  it 
rests  upon  a  bed, 

No.  3,  of  sandy-ochreous  shale  containing  septaria  of  an  ochreous 
oxide  of  iron,  which,  together  with  the  ironstone  found  in  tin' 
sandstone,  will,  in  all  probability,  be  turned  to  pr(,)fitalt]e  ac- 
count when  the  coal-beds  are  worked  ;  underneath  this  is, 

No.  4,  a  bed   of  bituminous   coal,  three   feet  thick.      The  niiu- 


rnoviNCKs  south  of  rio. 


r>'2?, 


oral,  althniiirli  it  leaves  a  higjj  porcptitago  of  ash,  will  he  found 
useful  ill  siucltini,'  the  inm  ores  from  the  intor.stratifyiii^  heds  ; 
and  there  is  every  reason  for  siii)])()siiig  thiit  it  will  he  found 
of  a  better  quality  when  the  l)ed  is  fairly  worke<l.  The  samples 
tested  were  taken  from  very  near  the  surface,  which  may  in 
some  measure  account  for  its  apparent  impurity;   it  rests  on, 

No.  5,  a  bed  of  white  clay  or  schist,  containing  innuiueralilc  im- 
pressions of  fossil  plants  (perhaps  acpiatic),  the  general  api)ear- 
ance  of  which  would  lead  one  to  conclude  that  these  carbonifer- 
ous deposits  belong  to  a  later  period  than  that  assigned  to  the 
coal-measures  of  Juigland  and  the  United  States,  were  such  a  con- 
clusion not  confuted  l)y  the  fossil  ferns  found  in  the  otiier  inter- 
stratifying  shales;  it  has  a  thickness  of  five  feet,  and  overlies  a. 

No.  G,  bed  of  good  coal  eleven  feet  thick.  This  coal  resembles 
very  much  in  its  appearance  the  Newcastle,  and  may  be  ti-aced 
for  many  miles  along  the  banks  of  the  river  Candiota,  soinetimes 
forming  the  bed  of  that  river  and  of  the  small  streams  falling 
into  it ;  it  is  separated  from  another  seam  by  a  thin  partiiii,', 

No.  7,  of  blue  clay. 

Xo.  8.  The  coal  of  the  lower  bed  appears  to  be  oven  of  u  lietter 
quality  than  the  one  above  ;  it  has  a  clean,  shining  fracture, 
and  in  some  places  thin  seams  of  ])ure  cannel-coal  may  be 
traced  along  the  bed.  It  is  highly  inflammable,  boiling  up 
like  oil  during  combustion.  This  coal  has  been  used  as  fuel 
in  various  ways  with  marked  success.  It  has  been  tried  on 
the  steamers  navigating  the  Lagos  dos  Patos  in  the  province 
of  Rio  Grande,  and  although  it  left  a  greater  portion  of  ash 
than  the  Cardiff  coal,  it  was  found  to  be  a  good  caking  coal,  and 
served  every  purpose  of  a  steam  fuel.    Below  this  is  another  bed, 

Xo.  9,  of  blue  clay,  containing  vestiges  of  fossil  plants;  in  everything 
else  it  is  similar  to  the  upper  bed  of  the  same  mineral.  It 
reposes  on, 

Xo.  10,  the  thickest  seam  of  coal  exposed  in  the  escarpment  at 
the  Serra  Partida.     This  is  the  lowest  bed  of  coal  exposed  in 


C24 


GKOLOGV   AND    I'lIYSICAL   GKOGUArilV. 


any  part  nf  the  coiil-ficlds  of  randidtn,  but,  in  all  i>rf)l)aliility, 
other  hods  will  he  found  nearer  to  the  centre  of  the  hasin,  '<r 
this,  as  well  as  the  incunihent  beds,  may  become!  thicker,  jiid;;- 
ing  from  the  fact  that  all  the  beds  a])pear  to  thicken  as  thi  v 
aj)pr()aeh  the  middle  of  the  valley  of  the  river  Ja;^'uarao.  Tin 
great  thickness  (twenty-five  feet),  the  good  and  homogeiuMnis 
character  of  the  seam,  are  imj)ortant  features  in  this  coal-fidil. 
The  mineral  (although  taken  from  near  the  decomposed  face  nf 
the  cliff  on  the  river  C'andiota)  was  foimd  to  leave  even  less  n^li 
than  that  from  the  scam  above.  It  has  frequently  been  ustij 
on  steamers  with  the  same  success  as  that  obtained  from  New- 
castle coal.  The  coke  obtained  from  this  coal  by  Mr.  W.  (I. 
Ginty  of  the  llio  Gas  Works  (vide  Mr.  (Jinty's  report)  was  even 
better  than  that  derived  from  Newcastle  coal.  It  overlies  a  litd, 
No.  11,  of  ironstone  shale,  which,  in  a  scientific  point  of  viiw. 
is  the  most  imi)ortant  deposit  of  the  coal-measures  of  the 
Jaguarao,  from  the  fact  of  its  containing  im])7'essions  of  or- 
ganic remains,  by  whicli  the  geological  age  of  the  coul-iicils 
can  be  determined  ;  the  fossil  jilants  found  embedded  in  this 
shale  all  belong  to  the  same  genera  as  those  which  cliiinic- 
terizc  the  coal-fields  of  ..•itain  and  the  United  States,  the 
most  abundant   l)elonging  to  the  genera  Lcpidodcndron  *  iiml 

*  Three  species  of  plivnts  have  Iuhmi  (IcscribcJ  l)y  Mr.  W.  Carriuhers,  viz.;  — 

Flcm'mfitcs  P<(lroa))us  Cvkuctukks.    Geol.  Mag.,  Vol.  VI.  No.  4, )). .'),  I'l.  1'.  V. 

"  Stem  lopiilodcndroid,  scars  small,  obovatc,  without  any  markiiij;s ;  ]>ii>v  of 
the  petiole  jjermanently  nttachctl  to  the  stem  ;  leaf  slender,  linear.  Fruit  ;i 
cone  (?)  the  scales  of  wiiieh  support  numerous  .sporanjria." 

The  stems  of  this  plant  at  first  siirht  resemble  those  of  some  speeics  of 
Lepi(lo(l(ii(lr()n ;  hut  they  may  he  readily  distinguished  from  Lejndodeiidnin  hy 
the  character  of  the  scars,  which  never  show  any  impression  from  articuhitiii.' 
surfaces.  Associated  with  the  stems  and  leaves  of  this  species  are  found  in  ;:r(;it 
nhundance  minute  flattened  bodies  which  Mr.  Carnithers  considers  to  be  tlic 
sporangia  of  the  plant  umler  consideration. 

Odontnptcrh  Plantiana  C.vhrctiiers.     Lor.  cif.,  p.  9,  PI.  V.  Figs.  2  &  .3. 
"Pinnules  broad  at  the  base,  irregularly  lobcd,  obtuse  at  the  apex;  basal 


PROVINCES   SOUTH   OF   RIO. 


nor. 


Olossnptcvis ;  others  have  lu'eii  rccn;,'iiizc(l  as  lu'iiii;  siiuilur 
to  the  iiTiis  found  in  tlio  very  oldest  sccoiidiiry  rorks,  thus 
leaviiij^  no  uncortuiiity  us  to  tho  true  {;arl)oniforous  charac- 
ter of  the  coal-nioasiires  of  tlio  river  Cindiota.  This  soani  is 
very  prolific  of  fossils,  and  tliorc  can  lie  no  doidit  that  when 
those  imnionso  hods  of  niiiioral  trcasiu'c  iirc  woi-ked  many  new 
and  intercstinj,'  forma  of  vogetahle  life  will  lie  liroii^iht  to  li^dit 
to  enrich  our  kno\vle(li,'e  of  the  coal-lields  of  tho  Southern 
hemisphere.  The  ironstone  shale  is  very  rich  in  metal,  and 
will  doubtless  he  worked  as  an  iron  ore  when  the  mines  arc 
opened.      Below  this  there  occurs  another  hed, 

No.  \'l,  of  sandstone,  similar  in  all  respects  to  the  uppermost  bed. 
After  which  is  a  hod, 

No.  1.3,  of  fine  crystalline  limestone,  containing  small  fragments 
of  graphite,  disseminated  throughout  the  mass.  It  is  trav- 
ersed also  by  veins  of  a  very  [)iu'e  carbonate  of  lime  in  the  form 
of  double-refracting  sjjar,  which,  in  some  places,  attain  a  con- 
siderable thickness.  This  limestone  will  not  only  bo  of  immense 
value  for  manufacturing  into  lime,  but  also  as  a  flux  in  smelt- 
ing the  iron  ores.  The  three  things  essential  for  the  erection  of 
smclting-works  are  thus  found  in  the  same  district  interstratified 
with  each  other  :  the  ore,  the  fuel,  and  the  flux,  all  of  the  wry 
first  quality,  —  a  combination  of  mineral  riches  (otdy  waiting  for 
the  hand  of  man  to  realize  them)  scarcely  to  bo  found  together 
in  one  spot  in  any  other  part  of  the  globe.     Evidenth', 

No.  14,  the  two  lowest  beds  of  those  coal-moasm-es  are  mica-schist, 

Xu.  15,  and  another  limestone  rock  of  a  very  dark  and  conipact 

pinnules  large,  much  and  irregularly  lobcd  ;  nerves  nrcu'atcly  parallel,  dichoto- 


nious. 


Xiffjfjernthi'a  ohornffi  Carrt'TTIEHS.     Lor.  rit.,  p.  9,  IM.  VI.   Fi;,'--  1- 
"Frond  sessile,  flat,  entire,  elongate  obovate,  attt    lated  towards  the  base; 

ncn-es  dividing  dicbotomonsly,  paral  .1." 
I  have  seen  CaUtmitcs  and  a  Sphon,   ^< >•?•.■  (n.  sp.)  in  specimens  of  eoal  sliale 

from  one  of  south  Brazilian  coal-fields  ;  but  the  laliels  having  been  lost,  I  have 

Wn  unable  to  determine  the  exact  locality.  —  C-  F.  H. 


52G 


GEOLOGY   AND  PHYSICAL   GKOGRAPIIY. 


nature.     Tt  is  scarcely  possible  to  determine  which  is  the  lower- 
most, as  in  some  places  the  mica-schist*  is  seen  lying  on  the 
sj'enitc  which  suiTounds  the  coal-basin,  and  in  others  the  lime- 
stone ;  the  name  of  "  metalliferous  limestone  "  has  been  <,qvL'n 
it.   owing  to  the  innumerable  crystals  and  thin  veins  of  siil- 
phuret  of  iron  which  ap])car  in  it.     In  all  probability  other 
metalliferous  veins  will  be  found  in  this  limestone. 
Nearly  the  whole  of  the  coal-basin  of  the  valley  of  the  Jaguariio 
is  enclosed  by  syenitic  hills  of  from  two   hundred  to  three  hun- 
dred feet  high  ;    the  sides  towards  the  coal-licld  slope  gently  down- 
wards till  they  disappear  under  the  sandstone  overlying  the  coal  : 
on  the  other  side  the  syenite,  after  presenting  an  uneven  and  uiulii- 
lating  aspect  for  some  three  or  four  leagues,  gradually  sub>;i(le.s 
into  an  even  country,  which  continues  on  almost  perfectly  ])lain  t  till 
the  seaport  city  of  Rio  Grande  do  Sul  is  reached,  so  that  the  com- 
pany (already  formed  for  making  the  survey  for  a  railway  to  carry 
the  mineral  riches  of  the  valley  of  the  Jaguarao  down  to  a  seaport, 
where  the  coal  can  be  shipped  to  the  different  ports  along  the  coast 
of  Brazil,  and  the  River  Plate)  will  find  no  difficulty  in  discover- 
ing a  route  along  which  a  cheap  line  of  rails  can  be  laid  down. 

The  photographic  views  of  the  different  escarpments  in  which 
the  coal-beds  are  shown  along  the  river  Candiota  will  show  the 
great  facilities  afforded  for  workhig  the  coal  in  almost  any  part  of 
the  basin  bv  open  cuttings.  Tramways  can  be  laid  down  branch- 
ing oflP  in  different  directions  from  the  main  tnmk  lino,  aloni:' 
which  the  coal-wagons  can  be  run  right  into  the  seams  of  coal. 
thereby  rendering  the  sinking  of  expensive  shafts  quite  unneces- 
sary. 

The  general  dip  of  the  beds  is  from  .^°  to  10°  S.  W.,  and  in  H" 
place  are  there  signs  of  subsequent  upheavals  or  dislocations  of 

*  The  micii-schist  is  without  doubt  much  ohler  than  tlie  carlioniferous.  — 

c.  F.  n. 

t  Mr.  Hull  speaks  of  a  frcntly  slopinpr  plane  of  basalt  stretcbinc:  fmni  tlie 
coal-mines  toward  the  port  on  the  Rio  Gon(;alo.  ( Quarterly  Jo>u-nal  of  Science, 
No.  11,  April,  1864.) 


PROVINCES   SOUTH   OF   RIO. 


cariioniferous. — 


strata  visible,  so  that  very  little  obstruction  will  bo  mot  with  in 
carrying  the  tramways  along  the  seams  as  the  working  of  them 
goes  forwards. 

It  is  almost  unnecessary  to  dwell  upon  the  immense  value  of 
these  coal  deposits  as  a  commercial  enterprise,  when  it  has  Iteon 
already  ascertained,  by  a  "running  survey"  of  the  country  be- 
tween the  seaport  of  Rio  Grande  do  Sul  and  the  coal-mines  of 
C'andiota,  that  in  all  probability  the  coal  will  be  delivered  on 
board  vessels  lying  in  the  port  of  Rio  Grande  at,  perhaps,  less  than 
T.'^OOO  per  ton,  where  it  is  at  the  uresent  moment  being  sold  at 
24$000  ;  and  as  soon  as  a  bill  is  jjasscd  alhnving  vessels  of  all 
nations  to  trade  between  the  Brazilian  ports,  there  will  l)c  no  lack 
of  ent:  prising  shipowners  to  carry  the  Rio  Grande  coal  to  Rio  do 
Janeiro — in  which  port  alone  the  enormous  amount  of  18(1,000  tons 
of  coal  are  annually  imported  —  for  a  jn-ice  which  will  oual)le  the 
coal-mining  company  to  sell  the  Candiota  coal  in  the  market  of 
the  capital  of  the  Brazilian  Empire  for  about  loi^OOO  jjcr  ton, — 
a  price  which  will  annihilate  any  competition  from  foreign  mar- 
kets, seeing  that  the  foreign  coal  is  seldom  sold  for  less  than 
228000  per  ton. 

The  consumption  of  coal  in  the  river  Plate  is  perhaps  as  groat 
as  that  of  Rio  de  Janeiro,  and  the  facilities  for  supplying  the 
markets  of  Buenos  Ayres  and  Montevideo  from  the  coal-niines  of 
the  river  Candiota  are  still  greater  than  those  for  supplying  llio. 
The  coal  can  be  sent  from  the  mines,  put  on  board  colliers,  and  de- 
livered in  Montevideo  in  three  or  four  days,  at  about  half  tlio 
ci>st  of  delivering  the  same  article  in  Rio,  which  is  a  market  where 
coal  is  never  less  than  fifteen  dollars  per  ton  (or  30!?00()). 

The  consumption  of  coal  along  the  Brazilian  coast  and  in  the 

IJiver  Plate  increases    yearly,  and  in   all   probability   it  will   be 

fnund,  after  the  coal-mines  of  Candiota  have  l)een  opened  for  a  few 

years,  that  a  single  line  of  railway  will  not  be  found  sufHcient  to 

Ciu-ry  the  supply  of  coal  to  meet  the  increasing  demands. 

Xatiiaxii::!,  Plant. 
Rio  de  Janeiko,  20th  July,  1865. 


528 


GEOLOGY   AND    PHYSICAL   GPLOGRAPIIY. 


.    I 


Report  on  the  Candiotn  Coal  by  W.  G.  Glnty,  Engineer-in-Chief  <,f 
the  Rio  de  Janeiro  Gas  Works, 

Mr.  Nathaniel  Plant  :  — 

Dear  Sir,  —  I  have  received  and  examined  your  samples  of 
Brazilian  coal  from  Candiota  with  great  interest,  and  I  am  glad  to 
he  able  to  congratulate  you  on  its  really  good  quality. 

The  samples  you  sent  me  were  too  small  for  complete  and  satis- 
factory analysis  in  the  apparatus  at  my  disposal.  I  found  als(j 
that  the  samples  varied  a  good  deal  in  appearance  and  quality. 
This  has  arisen,  no  doubt,  from  their  having  been  obtained  from 
various  positions  on  the  nearly  perpendicular  fiicc  of  the  immense 
stratum,  and  from  variable  periods  of  exposure,  as,  owing  to  the 
crumbling  away  or  disintegration  of  pieces  under  the  incessant 
action  of  the  weather,  these  samples  may  have  been  exposed  for 
periods  varying  from  each  other  as  seconds  do  from  centuries. 

The  Candiota  coal  resembles  the  Newcastle  steam-coal  (which 
comes  to  this  market  at  least)  very  much  in  structure,  cleavage, 
and  general  appearance,  nor  docs  it  differ  very  much  from  New- 
castle coal  in  its  useful  properties,  except  that  it  contains  more 
than  doul)le  the  quantity  of  ash,  which  is  detrimental  to  its  heat- 
ing powers ;  but  this  objection  is  likely  enough  to  disappear  alto- 
gether in  samples  from  the  deeper  narts  of  the  mine. 

The  coke  from  the  Candiota  coal  is,  however,  very  diftercnt 
in  appearance  from  that  of  the  Newcastle  coal,  and  resembles  tho 
coke  of  (what  is  sold  here  as)  Cardiff  coal  in  its  silvery-colored 
laminations. 

Some  of  this  Candiota  coal,  however,  especially  that  of  the 
lower  scam  is  very  friable,  and  is  evidently  what  is  called  cakins^ 
coal ;  that  is,  it  boils  or  becomes  molten  during  the  process  of 
carbonization.  However,  all  the  qualities  of  the  coke  from  the 
Candiota  coal  are  very  good. 

As  yon  say  the  dip  or  inclination  of  the  seams  or  strata  of 
this  Candiota  coal  is  5°  from  the  plane  of  the  horizon,  I  think  it 
most  reasonable  to  presume  that  a  much  finer,  more  compact,  and 


PROVINCES   SOUTH   OF   RIO. 


529 


ir  samples  of 


equable  quality  of  coal  may  be  calculated  upon  at  lower  dejjths. 
5°  is  a  gradient  of  1  in  11.4  or  8.77  per  cent,  or  402  feet  per  mile. 
Thus  in  such  an  immense  field  as  you  have  described  to  me  there 
is  ample  margin  for  obtaining  other  than  surface  coal,  which  for 
obvious  reasons  in  Brazil,  as  elsewhere,  cannot  l)c  as  pure,  as  com- 
pact, or  as  uniform  in  quality  as  that  obtained  at  great  depths,  I 
shall  watch  the  prosecution  of  your  explorations  in  this  direction 
with  great  interest. 

The  following  are  the  results  of  my  examinations  (as  far  as  thev 
went)  on  the  Candiota  coal,  the  samples  of  Newcastle,  Cardiff', 
and  Wigan  cannel,  with  which  it  is  compared  below,  having  been 
tried  at  the  same  time  in  the  same  appai-atus  :  — 

Specific 
Gravity. 
AViikT 

1,00). 

Condiota  coal  (mean  of  three  quant-ties)  1,240 

"  "     Lower  scam    ....  l  ,230 

Newcastle 1,250 

Cardiff       1,275 

Gas,  or  Cannel  Coal  (Case  and  Morris)  1,240 

From  the  appearance  of  the  lower  scam  I  do  not  despair  of 

your  finding  a  good  gas  coal  for  us  in  the  Candiota  district,  and 

thus  freeing  the  Brazilian  gas  companies  from  the  fearful  tax  they 

have   to  pay  in  the  shape  of  freights  from  England,  amomiting 

to  from  200  to  300  per  cent  on  the  value  of  the  mnt'Tin  prima.     I 

send  you  labelled  samples  of  the  different  qualities  of  coke  above 

referred  to.  I  remain  your  ol)edient  servant, 

(Signed)  W.  G.  GINTY,  Mem.  Inst.  C.  E., 

Ewfmeer  Rio  dc  Janeiro  (itis  Company. 

Mr.  Plant  describes  a  second  coal-l)asiii  exposed  in  Hie 
valley  of  one  of  the  tributaries  of  the  Rio  Jacuahy,  called 
the  Sao  Sep(;,  in  lat.  30°  20',  long.  53°  30'. 

There  are  two  beds  of  coal  exposed  in  this  basin,  one 
fourteen,  the  other  seven  feet  in  thickness.  The  sandstone 
lieds  ovc'-lying  these  veins  are  disturbed  and  overflowed  by 


Per 

Culiio  ffct 

Illuininiitiiig 

Cent 

of  Gas 

I'owiT  in 

of 

piT  Ton 

Statiiliinl 

Coko. 

CunJIes. 

G3 

G,'.)00 

5.00 

CO 

8,198 

5.80 

G2 

80 

62 

9,000 

20.50 

VOL.    I. 


23 


HH 


5:30 


GKOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


tracliytic  cruptiuns.  The  area  of  this  basin,  so  far  as  i.s 
known,  is  altoiit  fifteen  miles. 

Near  the  town  of  Sao  Jcronymo,  on  the  l)anks  of  llic 
Jacuahy,  is  a  third  coal-basin,  situated  in  lat.  80°,  long.  i)V 
•50'.  At  a  depth  of  fifty-seven  feet  ])c\o\v  the  surface  there 
is  at  this  locality  a  l»ed  of  highly  bituminous  coal  six  feet  in 
tliickness.  This  is  underlaid  by  a  Ijcd  of  ironstone  slialc 
with  fossils  like  those  so  connnon  at  Candiota.  Several 
other  coal-beds  of  from  two  to  six  feet  in  thickness,  and 
intcrstratified  with  clay  and  ironstone,  have  been  jiasscd 
through  l)y  the  shafts  of  the  mines,  which  have  reached  a 
dej)th  of  one  hundred  and  eighty-three  feet. 

Since  the  foregoing  was  sent  to  ])ress  1  have  had  the  op- 
portunity of  examining  the  valualile  pajjcr  of  Weiss  on  the 
collections  made  by  Sellow  in  Southern  IJrazU.* 

I  regret  that  want  of  space  jirevents  my  giving  a  short 
abstract  of  this  pa])er.  I  confine  myself,  therefore,  to  a 
quotation  from  the  introduction. f 

"  On  the  30th  degree  of  south  latitude,"  says  Weiss,  "  tliere  ex- 
tends from  the  sea  in  a  direction  west  a  few  degrees  south  (in  (kr 
T**""  Stvuide  I)  obliquely  into  the  country  for  more  than  ^)°  oi 
latitude  a  range  of  liills  of  '  basalt,'  that  is  of  amygdaloid  and 
1  )lack  porjjhyry  or  melaphyr,  §  but  nowhere  is  the  rock  true 
basalt. 

*  Uh'r  (lux  Mhlhche  Endo  rfi'.<  Gohirqsznqrs  von  ririisilien  in  ihr  Proriii:  S. 
Pedro  do  Siil  tiiid  (hr  Banda  OrimUd  odir  dtin  .^twilc  roii  Monte  Vidto;  wuh 
den  Snmnduniicn  d<s  Ilcrrn  Fr.  Scdoir,  Aljliundhinireii  dor  KiJniglichen  Akadc- 
mic  dcr  Wissonschaftcn,  zu  Berlin,  aus  dom  Jiihre  1827. 

t  Lor.  rit.,  p.  222. 

t  The  German  miner's  compass,  accordino;  to  Gelder's  Plii/sikalif'chrs  WiirUr- 
biii/i  (see  article  on  Compass)  was  divided  from  north  to  south  aiid  soutli  to 
north  into  twelve  hours  (Stundcn)  instead  of  deurees. 

^  Melajihyr  is  the  name  j;ivcn  hy  Von  Hiich  to  a  species  of  porphyry  found 


PROVINCES   SOUTH   OF  RTO. 


531 


<hr  Prorhiz  S. 
mle  1 7(/(  0 ;  11(11  h 
lijiliclien  Akadc- 


"  On  the  southern   side  of  its  round  and  roof-shapod  liills  lies 
the  valley  of  the  Guaiba  or  Jacuy,  with  Porto  Alegre  at  the  junc- 
tion of  four  rivers  with  the  Lake  Vianiao.     Nearer  the  Uruguay  it 
slopes  to  the  west,  hut  even  there  it  is  united  with  a  range  of  the 
same   character  extending  soutliward  (in  der  ll""' Stunden)   sepa- 
rating the  head-waters  of  the   Ibicuy  from  those  of  the  Caavcra, 
forming  between  the  Caavera,  II )irapuitani  Grande  and  ll)irapuitam 
Chico  considerable  ridges,  and  when  it  turns  to  the  west  toward 
Salto  Grande  it  sends  streams  southward  to  the  Daiman  and   Kio 
Negro,    northward  into  the  Arapcy,   (>>iiai'aiiii    and   Ibirapuitam. 
This  chain  of  amygdaloid  is  the  S(jurce  of  the  great  (piantities  of 
chalcedonies,  agates,  carnelians,  rock-cry stuls,  and  amethysts  which 
cover  the  banks  of   Uruguay   downward    below   tiie    lUo   Negro. 
These  uniting  chains  divide  the  country  in  a  nat\u-al  manner  into 
a  northern  and   southern    half,   while    fartiier  south   there   is    no 
mountain-chain,  as  formerly  supposed,  to  foi'm   the   boundary  be- 
tween the  Portuguese  and   Spanish   possessions.     The  amygdaloid 
formation  is  probably  continued   on  the  I'ruguay  above,  since  it 
fi)i-ms  reefs  and  cliffs  on  the  river  at  Salto  Grande  and  Salto  Chico, 
tis  well  as  fourteen  leagues  forther  up  at  the  Cai)ella  de  Belem,  anil 
among  others  the  map  of  Nunez  gives  just  above  the  Saltos  Grande 
and  Chico  a  *  Monte  Grande  del  Monteil.'     On  the  slope  of  the 
amygdaloid  formation  there  is  spread  an  extensive  clayey  sandstone 
formation  extending  into  the  country,  and   it  ascends  to  the  foot 
of  the  granite  coast  mountains.     It  is  certainly  very  young,  and 
much  younger  than  was  supposed  by  one  traveller  (Sellow),  who 
referred  it  principally  to  the  Permian  (llothliegende).     From  its 
cliaractcr  as  well  as  its  situation,  it  is  extremely  probable,  not  to 
say  certain,  that  it  is  tertiary,  and  may  be  })rovisioually  referred 
l)v  us  to  the  Molasse  or  Braunkohlen  sandstone." 


porphyry  fotiml 


in  the  Alps.  The  <,n-ouncl  mass  is  black  or  lilackisli  frray  with  cin])cil(lcil  crystals 
<jf  Labradorite  ( ? )  anil  Aufxitc,  witli  occasionally  mica,  horn])lcmle,  and  ]iyritps. 
Sometimes  it  becomes  amyjidaloidal-  Sec  Mtkiplii/r  in  IlumliciJrk-ilm'/,  ihr 
nincn  uml  (uvjcwandten  Clicmle. 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGKAPIIY, 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

THE    GOLD-MINES    OF    BRAZIL* 

Geological  Distribution  of  Gold  in  Brazil.  —  Gold  in  Gneiss,  at  Jaragiui,  Can- 
tayallo,  Pianco,  and  elsewlierc.  —  The  richest  Deposits  found  in  Vi'iii> 
traversing  Clay  Slates.  —  Character  of  Auriferous  Quartz.  —  Granular 
Quartz,  or  Cac().  —  Gold  when  associated  with  Sulphides  rarely  visible.— 
The  auriferous  Iron  Ore,  Jacutinga.  —  Gold-Mines  of  Sao  Joao  d'El-Uci. 
—  The  Morro  Velho  Mine,  Mode  of  Occurrence  of  the  Gobi,  Method  of 
Extraction,  Yield,  &c.  —  The  Congo  Socco  Mine.  —  The  Uossa  Grande 
Gold-Mining  Company.  —  Mines  at  Morro  de  Santa  Anna,  Congonhas  do 
Canipo,  Sao  Vicente,  Cata  Branca.  —  The  Gold-Mines  of  Brazil  not  yet  fairly 
developed. 


The  gold  of  Brazil  f  occurs  in  the  ancient  metamorphic 
rocks,  and  in  drift  gravels  and  clays,  and  alluvial  sands  and 
gravels  derived  from  the  wear  of  these  rocks. 

The  cozoic  gneiss  of  the  coast-belt  furnishes  gold  at 
numerous  localities  along  its  whole  extent.  J    The  mines  of 

*  In  this  chapter  I  have  not  tried  to  treat  exhaustively  of  this  subjecv.  I 
have  endeavored  rather  to  present  such  facts  as  will  enable  the  reader  to  obtain  a 
fair  idea  of  the  mode  of  occurrence  of  gold  in  Brazil,  and  of  the  character  of 
the  mines.  A  great  amount  has  been  written  on  the  gold-fields  of  Brazil,  but 
it  is  for  the  most  part  lacking  in  scientific  accuracy,  and  much  of  it  has  rather 
tended  to  obscure  than  throw  light  upon  their  real  structure. 

t  For  a  short  and  interesting  sketch  of  the  early  history  of  gold-mining  in 
Minas  Geraes,  see  Bnrmeister's  Rdse  in  Bnisilioi,  p.  .")90,  "  Zur  Geschicbte  der 
Goldminen  und  ihrer  ci-sten  Entdeckung."  Consult  also  Von  Esclnvege's  Pinto 
Dmsilii'iisia,  and  Mawe's  "  Trarcls  in  the  Interior  of  the  Brazils."  Sjiix  and 
Martins,  St.  Ililaire,  Castelnau,  and  almost  all  writers  on  the  interior  of  Brazil, 
have  had  more  or  less  to  say  about  the  gold-mines. 

J  I  think  that  the  auriferous  deposits  occur  in  the  upper  part  of  the  gneiss 


THE   GOLD-MINKS   OF   BRAZIL. 


•■  *  »  .  > 
Oo.) 


interior  of  Bnizil, 


part  of  the  gneiss 


Jcai-agiia  in  Suo  Paulo,  of  Cautagallo  in  Rio  do  Janeiro,  and 
of  one  of  the  tributaries  of  the  Itapenierini,  are  among  the 
most  important  in  this  region.  Gold  also  oceurs  in  the 
gneiss  of  the  Mucury  Basin  and  in  the  north,  as  at  Pianco. 
Over  this  whole  region  the  gold  is  found  rather  spai'ingly, 
and  appears  to  be  derived  from  the  quartz  veins  traversing 
the  gneiss ;  but  the  only  instance  1  know  of  where  gold  has 
been  extracted  from  a  quartz  vein  in  the  gneiss-belt  is  the 
mines  on  the  Rio  Bruscus  in  Parahyba.  "Witii  this  excep- 
tion mining  has  been  conlined  entirely  to  the  washing  of  the 
cascalho  *  underlying  the  drift-clays,  and  of  the  gravels  and 
sands  of  the  rivers.  These  washings  have  all  been  aban- 
doned. Between  the  coast  gneiss-belt  and  the  sea  I  know 
of  no  auriferous  deposits,  but  in  very  numerous  localities  in 
the  interior  of  the  country  the  newer  metamorphic  rocks  are 
rich  in  gold. 

The  formations  affording  most  gold  are  clay  slates  trav- 
ersed by  auriferous  quartz  lodes,  the  itacolumite  rock  which 
is  also  veined  with  auriferous  quartz,  and  certain  iron  ores 
variously  known  under  the  names  of  Itabirite  and  Jacu- 
tinga.f  All  these  formations  are,  I  believe,  of  lower  silu- 
rian  age. 

In  the  clay  slates  the  quartz  veins  sometimes  show  free 

series.  According  to  Mr.  Wall,  "  Geology  of  a  Part  of  ¥01167,1101.-),"  Quiirt.  Jour. 
Geol.  Soc,  Vol.  XVI.,  p.  460,  gold  is  found  disseminated  in  gneiss  near  Valen- 
cia, Venezuela.    Gold  occurs  in  the  gneisses  of  the  Itacaina  Mountains.    (Tate.) 

*  The  auriferous  cascalho  of  Brazil  is  quite  a  different  thing  from  tlic  aiscajo 
of  Venezuela.  The  Spanish  word  has  the  same  derivation  as  the  Portuguese, 
hut  .according  to  Mr.  Le  Neve  Foster,  it  is  ajiplied  in  the  Caratal  gold-field  to  a 
decomposed  schist,  on  which  the  pay-dirt  rests. 

t  This  term  is  derived  from  two  Tuju'  words,  — Jani,  a  kind  of  bird  (PcnrJopi'), 
and  timja,  white.  The  name  was  given  to  the  rock  hecause  of  its  rescmMance 
in  color  to  the  feathers  of  the  ahovc  bird.  Sometimes  foreigners  spell  it  jaco- 
linga,  which  is  not  correct. 


534 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


gold  with  very  little  pyrites  associated.  The  auriferous 
(|iiartz  varies  iiiiieh  in  character.  Sometimes  it  is  comjiact 
and  milky,  at  others,  as  at  the  Cata  Branca  mines,  it  is  very 
granular  and  sugary.  A  specimen  of  vein-(|uartz  with  gold, 
from  the  mine  of  ^«ao  A'icente  in  Minas  Geraes  in  tlio 
Museum  of  Comi)arativc  ZoJUogy,  is  composed  for  the  most 
j)art  (jf  clear,  colorless  quartz  in  rather  coarse  granules, 
giving  to  the  roclc  the  apj)earancc  of  a  ])urc  (juartz  sand- 
stone, or  of  white  lump  sugar ;  *  but  in  the  same  specinicii 
the  ([uartz  j)asses  into  a  more  compact  rock,  which  lias  a 
bluish  look. 

In  the  (piartz  veins,  as  elsewhere  the  case,  the  rock  is  not 
all  auriferous,  but  the  gold  runs  in  streaks.  The  Sao  Vicente 
specimen  al)0vc  described  shows  well-marked  streaks,  rich 
in  free  gold,  which  appear  to  have  run  ])arallel  with  the  side 
of  the  lode. 

Where  the  vein  rock  is  rich  in  suli)hide3  the  gold  is,  as 
a  rule,  not  visible,  but  intimately  mixed  with  the  rock. 
This  is  the  case  at  Morro  A'elho.  The  sulphides  consist  of 
magnetic  iron  pyrites,  which  is  the  most  abundant  and 
yields  a  little  gold  ;  common  iron  pyrites  is  less  al)undant, 
and  gives  more  gold  ;  and  the  mispickel  or  arsenical  iron 
pyrites,  which  is  the  principal  gold-l)earer. 

Of  the  ferruginous  auriferous  deposits  none  is  more  inter- 
esting than  the  so-called  jacutinga  formation.  Heusser  and 
Claraz  f  say  that  the  jacutinga  is  a  i)ulverulent  variety  uf 


*  This  sujiravv  quartz  goes  in  Brazil  by  tlie  name  of  Card. 
t  Heusser  and  Claraz,  Ann.  clis  Mines,  Tome  XVII  p.  290  :  — 
"L'itabirite  est  sim])lement  nne  varie'te  ilc  for  oligiste  seliistcux  qui  c?t  nc- 
compagnee  ile  quartz  et  de  mica.     EUe  ])rescntc  quelquefois  des  couche.!  ]iu'i^- 
santes  et  tres-etendues  qui  ])euvent  etre  e.\ploit('es  comme  mineral  de  fer.    QuaiiiJ 
elle  est  pulve'rulente,  on  la  designe  sous  le  nom  di.'  Jacutimja." 


THE   GOLD-MINi:S   OF   BRAZIL. 


535 


Itabiritc,  a  name  given  by  Von  Eschwcge  *  to  a  rock  com- 
jiorfcd  of  micaceous  specular  iron  ore,  compact  ispecular 
irou,  rarely  laminated,  a  little  oxide  of  iron  and  (piartz  dis- 
scminatcd.  It  is  the  rock  of  which  the  Peak  of  Italdra 
and  the  Scrra  da  Piedade  arc  com{)oseil. 

Burton  describes  the  jacutinga  as  follows  :  f  "  This  sul)- 
stauce,  of  iron  black  with  metallic  lustre,  sparkles  in  the 
t^uu  with  silver}'  mica;  the  large  ])ieces  often  aj)])ear  of  a 
dark  reddish  brown,  but  they  crumble  to  a  powder  almost 
Mack.  The  constituents  arc  micaceous  iron-schist,  and 
fiialde  quartz  mixed  with  specular  iron,  oxide  of  manganese, J 

and  fragments  of  talc The  floor  rock  at  Cocacs  is 

lino  micaceous  peroxide  of  iron  (specular  iron),  thin  and 

tabular ;^^uch   of  the  jacuthiga  is  foliated 

It  shows  great  ditrerences  of  consistency  ;  some  of  it  is 
hard  and  compact  as  hasmatitc,  and  this  must  be  stamjjcd 
like  quartz.  In  parts  it  feels  soapy  and  greasy,  not  harder 
than  fuller's  earth ;  it  is  easily  wetted  and  pulverized,  but 
it  is  hard  to  dry." 

Gardner  describes  the  jacutinga  as  a  soft  frial)le  greenish- 
colored,  micaceous  iron-schist.  § 

The  gold  of  the  jacutinga  is  free.  Castelnau  ||  says,  that 
at  Gongo  Soco  it  is  always  confined  to  a  little  vein  which 
winds  about  in  the  rock.     This  is  never  more  than  five  to 


*  "  Imbirit,  —  Eiscnglimmcr,  Eisciifrlanz,  meist  difhtor,  audi  hlilttritrer,  liin 
uiul  wieder  niiiynetischci-  Eiscnstein  iiiid  wonig  Quiuv,  erschi'incii  eiitweder  ills 
t'l'stus,  diclitcs  Gestein,  oder  haben  eiii  Ki"trnif;scliict'ri;,a^s  Gefiige,"  —  Von  Esca- 
wK(iK,  Geor/iiostisc/tcs  (lemiddc.  von  Bnisilien,  28"«  Seite. 

t  Burton,  Vol.  I.  p.  301. 

\  Castelnau  speaks  of  the  occurrence  of  man;^anese  in  the  jacutinga  of  Gongo 

SuCO. 

§  Travels  in  Brazil,  p.  373. 
!:  '>i<.  cil.,  p.  24G. 


53G 


GEOLOGY   AND   I'HYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


seven  millimetres  in  width,  and  sometimes  it  is  as  thin  as  a 
hair  ;  it  contains  mnch  manfj^ancsc. 

In  the  gold  region  is  found  an  auriferous  superficial  de- 
posit of  broken  fi-agments  of  ferruginous  rocks  cemeiiteii 
together,  and  called  Tapanhoacawja  or  ctnuja* 

1  have  already  described  in  previous  chapters  the  mode 
of  occurrence  of  gold  in  the  drift  gravels  and  clays,  and  in 
the  sands  and  gravels  of  the  river  bottoms. 

With  these  introductory  words,  let  us  now  examine  suine 
of  the  more  noteworthy  gold-mines  of  Brazil. 

At  Sao  Joao  d'El-Rei  and  Sao  Jose,  situated  a  few  miles 
west  of  Barbacena,  on  the  Rio  das  Mijrtes,  ai-e  auriferous 
deposits  formerly  worked  for  many  years  with  great  profit. 
In  I80O  an  English  company  called  the  "  Sfio  Joao  d'Hl- 
Rei  Mining  Company  "  was  formed,  and  these  mines  were 
leased ;  but  in  183-A  it  was  found  that  they  were  unprofit- 
able, and  they  were  abandoned.  Cajjtain  Burton  says  the 
gold  was  principally  obtained  from  a  lode,  which  however  he 
does  not  describe.  The  jacutinga  formation  is  said  to  oceiir 
here. 

The  country  over  a  very  large  area  in  the  vicinity  of  Ouro 
Preto  is  very  auriferous,  and  here  are  situated  the  richest 
gold-mines  of  the  empire. 

The  gold  occurs  primarily  in  quartz  veins  traversiiiir 
various  metamorphic  rocks,  such  as  clay-slate,  mica-slate. 
iron-schists,  &c.,  and  also  disseminated  through  the  rock  in 
some  places  ;  and  secondarily  it  is  found  widely  distributed 
in  drift  and  alluvial  sands  and  gravels. 

The  celebrated  Morro  Velho  mine  is  situated  on  the  west- 
ern side  of  the  valley  of  the  Rio  das  Yelhas,  not  far  from 
Sabard.     It  was  lomr  worked  bv  native  miners,  but  on  (lie 

*  For  a  detailed  description  of  this  formatioa  see  page  559,  next  chapTor. 


TIIK   GOLD-MINt:S   OF   BKAZIL 


5:;7 


t  is  as  thill  as  a 


'  cxaiuino  some 


59,  next  chapter. 


failure  of  tlic  mines  at  Siio  Joiio  d'El-Rei,  it  was  pnivluisptl 
liy  tlie  company  of  that  name,  and  lias  l)cen  worked  with 
remarkable  success  ever  since.  The  g(jld  is  extracted  from 
a  l(jdc  of  quartz  enclosed  in  clay-slale.  The  followiiifji;  ac- 
eount  of  the  vein  and  the  mine,  with  the  accompanying 
statistics,  I  extract  from  the  work  of  'Mv.  Arthur  IMiil- 
li[)S  :  *  — 

"  The  formation  affording  the  gold  is  a  strong,  wcll-dcfincd  lode, 
though  i  -egular  in  direction,  dip,  iiud  dimensions  ;  its  inclination 
or  underlie  has  also  been  found  to  vary  at  dirtbrunt  depths  and  in 
(litlerent  parts  of  its  extent  ;  the  vein-rock  is  mostly  composed  of 
(luurtz,  with  iron  ])yrites  disseminated  more  or  less  regularly 
throughout  its  mass,  and  the  lode  is  not  unfrecpiently  traverse<l  by 
Lliiy-shitc  and  barren  white  quartz.  When  pyrites  is  al)seiit  in 
these  rocks  gold  is  seldom  present. +  In  s(jine  places  the  vein  is 
iiivernous  and  less  close  in  its  texture  than  in  others ;  but  where 
ilrusy  cavities  are  frccpient  the  yield  of  gold  diminishes ;  the  most 
productive  matrix  for  gold  is  a  cimipact  mixture  'if  (piartz  and 
pyrites,  with  varying  quantities  of  slate.  The  great  metalliferous 
ileposit  called  the  Cachoeira,  13ahu,  and  Quebra  Pauella,  is  one 
continuous,  very  irregular  vein  varying  in  width  from  seven  to 
seventy  feet,  and  at  one  point  reaching  one  hundred  feet.;}:    The 

*  J.  Arthur  Phillips,  The  Mining  anil  Metallurgy  of  Gold  and  Silver,  p.  82, 
which  see  for  additional  iufonuation  concerning  these  mines. 

t  "  Arsenical,  magnetic,  and  ordinary  iron  pyrites  jjredoniiuatc  at  different 
points  and  in  varying  quantities  :  carbonate  of  lime,  dolomite  brown  spar,  and, 
very  rarely,  copper  pyrites  are  also  j)resent  in  the  vein. 

}  Burton,  Vol.  11.  p.  2.34,  says  :  "  The  breadth  of  tlic  lode  varies  from  four 
to  sixty  feet.  The  general  direction  wlien  worked  is  west  to  cast  with  north- 
erly shiftings.  The  dip  is  4;")°,  rising  to  a  maximum  of  4i'>°  -30'  or  47°.  The 
strike  is  from  S.  82°  E.  -  S.  .58°  E.  The  cleavage  planes  of  the  killas  are  in 
some  places  transverse  to,  in  others  parallel  with,  the  lode.  In  certain  sections 
of  the  mine  walls  they  bear  N.  36°  E.,  but  the  average  is  more  easterly.     The 

'iirection  is  S.  46°  E.,  and  their  dip  is  at  angles  varying  from  4.3°  -  70° 

The  underlay  or  underlie  dip,  or  ineliuati(m  of  the  mineral  vein,  is  G°  in  tho 
23* 


% 


538 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GCOGRArilY. 


avorngc  tliickucsH,  17G  fiithoms  pcriictulicular  on  the  Cachooira 
iind  lli')  fiithuiiis  on  tho  liiihu,  is  ninotoon  feet.  Tho  8t(i|iiiiir 
Hjincc  extends  over  807  wjuivrc  fiithonis,  ....  the  cnchmin;.'  nuk 

is  a  clay-shite  of  tolerably  luiifonn  texture Tho  niiiHinl 

brouglit  to  the  Kurfaee  is  first  freed  from  slate  and  other  unprodiiL'- 
Hve  stone  on  the  spidliiijjj-Hoors,  and  the  ore,  after  being  broken  tun 

uniform  size,  is  8tanii)ed  fine The  stamping-mills,  as  is  iiImi 

the  punii)ing  and  other  machinery,  arc  moved  by  \vater-pn\\\r. 
The  j)ulverizc(l  ore,  issuing  from  stamp  eotlers  through  finely  [k  r 
forated  copper  grates,  passes  o\'er  i)ullock-skins  iu  the  first  in- 
stance, and,  lower  down  the  inclined  tables,  over  -woolk-n  (.jnth, 
The  bullock-skins  are  taken  up  and  washed  in  vats  every  hour,  ami 
the  woollen  cloths  at  longer  intervals.  The  subjoined  tal)le  shows 
the  (piantities  of  rock  raised  and  stamped,  the  amounts  of  gull 
produced,  and  annual  net  profits  made  since  18G8."* 

Tlic  following  account  of  the  Morro  Vcllio  mines  I  trans- 
late from  Gerber.f 

"  This  company,  after  having  worked  for  some  time  the  gold- 
mines in  the  vicinity  of  Sao  Joiio  d'El-Kei,  acquired  the  auriferous 
lands  of  Morro  Velho,  which  since  then  they  have  explored  witli 
great  profit  to  its  stockholders,  owing  this  happy  result  not  only 
to  the  richness  of  the  formations,  but  especially  to  the  perfection 
of  the  method  of  extracting  the  gold,  and  to  the  great  skill  with 
which  tho  establishment  is  regulated.  The  auriferous  lodes  of  Morro 
Velho  arc  in  general  pyrites,  contained  in  argillaceous  scliist, 
and  inclined  to  the  soutiieast,  aliout  45°.  The  principal  mines 
explored  are  those  of  Cachoeira  and  Bahil.  The  first  has  in  hori- 
zontal section  a  length  of  1,120  palmos,  a  width  which  varies  from 

Balui  and  8°  in  the  middle  Cachocirn.  Its  dip  varies  from  S.  82°  E.  -  8.  58°  E., 
and  tlie  inclination  from  4-J°-    7°,  but  everywhere  parallel  with  the  striie." 

*  For  a  minute  account  of  the  jirocess  of  separating,'  the  gold  at  Morro 
Velho,  see  Burton,  Vol.  I.  Chap.  XXVL 

1  yoyoes  Gtographkas,  &e.,  de  Minas  Geraes,  1863,  p.  33. 


THE  GOLD-MINES  OF  DUAZIL. 


amounts  of  go 


0  mines  I  trans- 


.Stone  ruUvJ,  tons,  .... 
Stonu  aud  Ore  stampcil,  tonH, 
(iolil  {iroilucvil,  pouudH  Troy, 

Nut  profit,      ... 


1849. 


IS&O. 


isrn. 


18C2. 


IHM. 


l8o4. 


(H),;m  I     07,1<«1       'U.Hlit       82,t542       8r.,f.ltM       80,f»48 
H!t,iHil  '     (U,;n.'i       81,t'tf.t       81,23*5       8ii,8(l(!       8«i,433 


2,W3  '      2,r,17        3,067 


:),323  '       3,'B3        3,4(14 


.£a8,13<i  I  .£35,880    X61,68«  |  X£1C,3U1    X  40,273    X  44,740 


1855 


Stone  riiisiHl,  tons,  .... 
Stone  and  Ore  Htiuuppd,  tons, 
(iold  produced,  pouud;^  Troy, 


1850. 


1857. 


87,297       89,877  1     8(5,407 

80,848  I     87,424  '     8ii,3.'35 

3,325  '       2,992  !       2,539 


Net  profit £34,400     C32,233 


X787 


1868.    1     1859.    :    18tX). 


88,901       88,908       01,301 

87,270       82.880       74,528 

2,73o         3,29  J         3,974 


X  8,645  'X 38,068    X  00,400 


Stone  raised,  ton.s,  .... 
8tono  and  Ore  stamped,  tons, 
Oiild  produced,  pounds  Troy, 


Net  profit, 
Loss,     .    . 


1801. 


1802. 


1803. 


1804. 


90,012  90,89(5  i  84,758  05, 43*-, 
71,902  '  C7,.'".0S  '  ft'),097  '  02,147 
5,051  '       6,1S2  ]       4,713  I       2,852 


X  90,709 


.£.^7,531 


X  03,285 


X  14,029 


lSli5.        ISGO. 


78.ss;i    £;  ,:. 

_  J3 

5!t,(;07     ?j^ 
4,153      t? 


X80,4a8      ~  r 


13  to  85  palmos,  and  it  had  in  March,  18G1,  a  perpendicular  depth 
of  1,190  palmos,  and  in  February,  18G2,  of  1,480  pahno.s.  The 
mine  of  Bahii  averages  the  same  dimensions.  Pxtth  possess  si.\ 
inclined  planes  for  the  transport  of  the  ore.  In  tiie  year  18')  9 
there  were  occupied  in  the  service  of  the  mine  271  free  natives 
aud  strangers  and  407  slaves;  in  all,  G81  men  ;  among  them  242 
broqueiros  [bhistei-s],  who  extracted  in  311  working-days  89,000 
tons  of  ore,  of  which  G,119  were  rejected  as  poor,  and  the  remain- 
ing 82,881  tons  were  stamped  in  G  mdls  with  .  34  hands. 
With  the  breaking  of  the  stone,  in  the  service  of  the  mills 
and  the  amalgamating  establishment,  were  occupied  in  this  year 
9  Europeans,  21  native  men,  and  24  native  women,  79  men-slaves, 


540 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


and  254  womcn-Hliives ;  in  all,  387  persons.     Tho  moan  yield  per 
ton  was  3.9  oitavas.*    The  amalgamation  has  been  made  at  the  rate 
of  70  pounds  of  mercury  to  the  ton  of  stamped  ore,  and  tho  loss 
of  mercury  was  0.58  ounces  for  each  cubic  foot  amalgamated. 
which  makes  about  G%.     Tho  total  product  of  the  establishment 
was  in  the  year  referred  to  342,885  oitavas  of  gold,  with  whose 
extraction  was  incurred  an  expense  of  115:808  $0(j7  lleis  [about 
$58,000  more  or  less],  i.  e.   357  Ilcis  [less  than  20  cents]    jier 
oitava.      Tlie  state  of  health  of  the  establishment  is  flattering ; 
the  mortality  in  the  whole  of  its  population  amounted   during 
1859  to  only  2.70%,  and,  excluding  accidental  deaths,  only  to  2. 14';. 
a  circumstance  very  noteworthy  for  a   population    composed   for 
the  most  part  of  miners,  which  proves  the  solicitude  the  super- 
intcndcncy  feels  for  the  welfare  of  its  employees.     The  capital  uf 
the  company  subscribed  since  1830  is  £128,400  sterling,  which 
has  during  thirty  years,  up  to  18G0,  jn-ochiccd  a  net  income  of 
j£4G6,874  Gs.  I  J.,  the  possessions  of  the  establishment  being  wortli, 
beside  this,  £  100,000.     The  last  dividend  of  the  company  was 
£2  for  share  of  £15." 

The  Morro  Vclho  mine  is  an  example  of  successful  vein- 
mining  to  a  great  d(  ptli.  There  is  no  appearance  of  a  dimi- 
nution in  richness  of  the  ore  in  descending. 

Phillij)s  states,  on  the  authority  of  Mr.  Ilockhi,  tlic 
managing  director  of  tlie  mines,  that 

"  The  rock  treated  at  tho  ]\Iorro  Yelho  mine  is  principally  a 
mixture  of  magnetic,  arsenical,  and  common  iron  pyrites,  finely 
disseminated  in,  and  intimately  mixed  with,  a  quartzose  ganguc. 
The  composition  of  what  is  called  pure  ore  may  be  taken  at  ab('Ut 
43  per  cent  of  silica,  and  57  per  cent  of  pyritous  matter.  Of 
these  minerals,  arsenical  pyrites  is  usually  tho  most  auriferous, 
though  it  does  not  occur  in  large  quantities.     Pure  specimens  of 


*  An  oitava  is  7.343  grains  Troy. 


THE   GOLD-MIXFS   OF   BRAZIL. 


541 


r.   Ilockin,  the 


tliis  substance  atlbrd  by  assay  from  fom-  to  six  ounces  of  gold  })er 
\im,  and  wherever  crystals  of  this  mineral  make  their  appearance 
the  yield  of  tlie  precioiis  metal  is  lai'ge.  C'ul)ical  ])yrites  is  of  more 
frequent  occurrence,  but  is  far  less  rich  in  gold  ;  solid  specimens 
of  tliis  substance,  but  slightly  mixed  with  cpiartz,  yield  about  an 
ounce  and  a  half  of  gold  per  ton  by  assay. 

"  Magnetic  pyrites  constitutes  the  largest  proportion  of  the  sul- 
])hides  found,  but  this  is  very  slightly  auriferous  since  pure  spieci- 
niens  generally  yield  rather  less  than  four  jjcnny weights  per  ton. 
branches  of  clay-slate  are  often  found  in  the  2)rincipal  veins,  and 
this  rock,  by  assay,  affords  from  five  to  seven  and  a  half  peiuiy- 
weights  of  gold  per  ton.  Quartz  without  any  admixture  of  sul- 
jihides  has  never  been  found  to  be  auriferous,  and  it  is  a  remark- 
al)le  fact  that  the  smallest  speck  of  gold  is  rarely  seen  previous  to 
concentration  in  any  of  the  ores  of  the  mine."* 

The  gold-mines  of  Oongo  Soco  lio  about  twenty  miles 
cast  of  Morro  Vcllio,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  vallev  of 
the  Rio  das  Velhas.  Tliey  were  once  very  ])roductive,  and 
became  famous  ;  Weddell  says  that  the  old  miners  oiu'o 
took  out  one  hundred  pounds  in  three  hours  I  but  throuuh 
had  management  the  company  that  worked  tluMn  failed. 
The  income  of  tac  company  during  the  thirty  or  more 
years  of  its  existence  was  £  1,888,410,  of  which  £  :j7.J,1(33 
was  profit. f 

Gardner  says,  on  the  authority  of  ITelmrcichen,  that  at 
the  Gongo  Soco  mines  theri.  is  the  following  succession  of 
rocks:  abed  of  itacolumite,  underneath  which  is  a  bed  of 
auriferous  jacutinga  fifty  fathoms  thick  ;$  then  a  thick  layer 

*  For  the  details  of  the  method  of  treatment  of  tliesc  ores  at  Morro  "\'fllio 
-ce  riiillips,  op.  cit.,  to  wliich  there  is  a  fronti.-idLce  represeiitiiii^'  tlie  Mono 
V(.Hio  establishment. 

f  Lieutenant  Moracs  quoted  hy  Burton. 

}  Tills  section  does  not  ajjreo  very  well  with  Castelnau's  deseription  of  the 


542 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


of  fornijrinous  itaoolumito,  witli  a  dip  of  45°,  lying"  on  chy- 
slate,  cuntaiuiiig-  great  masses  of  iruiistone.  Underlying  the 
slates  is  granite.  Castelnau  says  that  these  beds  di})  to  the 
south.  The  gold  oecurred  free  in  the  jacutinga,  and  niis 
sej»arated  l)y  washing.  M.  Weddell*  deseril)es  the  (Jongo 
k^oco  jacutinga  as  black  and  I'rialile  as  coal  ;  it  was  said  to 
be  very  sol't,  so  as  to  admit  of  being  worked  with  a  })ick : 
blasting  was  unnecessary.  When  the  gold  was  not  visible, 
the  ore  was  stamped  and  washed  without  using  niercuiv. 
"\Mien  the  precious  metal  was  visible  it  was  treated  first  in 
a  mortar,  and  then  washed  in  a  baleia  or  wooden  washing- 
bowl.  The  Congo  Soco  gold  is  said  to  contain  })alla- 
dium,f  and  is  deep  yellow  in  color.  Burtcni  says  that  he 
has  seen  sj)ecimens  "  of  a  bright  brassy  tint,  and  sometimes 
dingy  red,  like  worked  unpolished  copper." 

The  Rossa  Grande  Gold-mining  Company  owns  a  tract 
of  land  twenty-one  square  miles  in  area,  not  far  from  the 
mines  of  ^lorro  Velho.  The  gold  occurs  in  a  mixture 
of  (piartz  sometimes  associated  with  iron-ore,  at  others 
with  arsenical  pyrites,  or  ferric  oxide.  Some  of  these 
ores  arc  said  to  be  very  rich,  producing  even  as  much  as 
fifty  oitavas  to  the  ton.  Besides  the  vein-rock,  gold  oc- 
curs ill  jacutinga,  and  in  alluvial  washings.  Burton  visiteil 
the  mine,  and  reports  it  as  looking  very  much  like  a 
failure. 

The  Morro  do  Santa  Anna,  where  the  Dom  Pedro  North 


mines  :  Cas^telnau  says  that  the  jacutinga  is  ordinarily  only  sixteen  centimetre? 
in  thickness. 

*  C'astc'lnan,  ITIsf.  dn  Vnj/nrjp,  Tom.  I.  p  243  {hix). 

t  Tlie  ^'old  of  Brazil  is  always  alloyc(l  with  silver,  nnrl  occnsionally  wirli 
jiLitini ;  simu'tinies  it  loitaiiis  a  consiilerahle  porcotitn^re  of  iron,  wlioii  it  is 
very  ilark  in  color.  Iridium  and  irid-osmiura  occur  in  the  gold-washings  of 
Minus. 


THE   GOLD-MINES   OF   RKAZIL. 


543 


Pedro  Xortli 


ixtecn  centimetre? 


d'El-Rci  Company  was  ostablislied,  is  a  mountain  al)ont  ionr 
thousand  feet  in  liciglit  above  the  sea,  and  some  two  thou- 
sand lect  above  the  nciuhljorinu;  vallev. 

I  give  rhilHps's  deseriittion  of  tlie  geologieal  structure  of 
tliis  mountain,  but  1  nuist  coniess  that  it  is  somewliat 
enigmatical :  *  — 

"  The  foce  of  the  mountain  is  covered  with  cnvfin,  an  iron  Cdn- 
rrlomerate,  about  four  feet  thick ;  this  is  auriferous,  and  w  ill 
probably  pay  for  stamping.  Beneath  the  ain;i<i  is  the  first  jacu- 
tmga  formation,  about  sixty  feet  in  thickness,  coutaiuiug  veins  I'i^li 
in  the  precious  metal ;  the  jacutiuga  partakes  more  of  tiie  churac- 
ter  of  mica-slate  than  of  iron-sand,  and  the  auriferous  veins  in  it 
are  more  like  (puxrtz  than  ironstone.  This  rests  on  a  stratum  of 
hard  ironstone  about  three  feet  in  thickness,  which  is  the  second 
jacutiuga  formation,  but  fjuartz  is  the  predominating  constituent, 
and  rock  is,  according  to  Ca])tain  Treloar,  a  more  correct  name  foi- 
it  than  jacutiuga.  This  lode  averages  ahout  four  feet  wide  :  it 
opens  and  contracts,  and  where  it  expands  it  is  generally  foMKl 
most  productive.  Subjacent  to  the  layer  is  a  layer  of  hanl  clay 
and  mica-slate,  of  about  five  feet  in  thickness,  and  then  conies  \\\o 
rock  formation  which  has  3-ielded  the  chief  returns  of  gold.  In 
the  present  workings  it  i.s  about  ten  f  et  wide  ;  but  in  its  loni:i- 
tudinal  course  it  so  expands  and  contracts  as  to  become  in  some 

places  extinct The  general  direction  of  the  lodes  at  .Morro 

do  Santa  Anna  may  bo  said  to  be  easterly  and  westerly,  and  their 
underlie  northerly  ;  but  lioth  vary,  owing  to  the  lodes  hugging  the 
contour  of  the  mountain." 

Xear  Santa  Anna  is  another  mine  called  ^rnquiiu', 
worked  hy  the  company  owning  the  Mori'o  de  Santa  Anna, 
which  has  heen  abandoned.  Out  of  all  the  gold-mines  of 
Brazil  only  two  have  paid,  —  Morro  Vellio  and   ]\Ia(piine. 

*  Pliini]i<,  op.  rit.,  ]).  85. 


li 


',U 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


Tlic  rest  liavc  failed,  some  of  tliem  after  a  more  or  less 
prosperous  career,  and  notoriously  in  most  cases  from  bail 
management  and  an  imprudent  outlay  of  funds. 

At  Congonlias  do  Campo,  Burton  describes  the  gold  as 
occurring  '•  in  the  pores  and  cavities  of  friable  or  rotten 
quartz  injected  into  greenstone,"  *  and  states  that  "  ^fr. 
Luccock  detected  dust-gold  '  among  schist-clays  and  tht; 
other  component  parts  of  the  ground,'  and  the  latter  con- 
tained the  ore  '  with  equal  certainty,  and  nearly  equal  quan- 
tity, whether  of  the  ])revailing  red  hue,  or  any  of  the  shades 
of  brown  or  yellow.'  " 

The  gold-mine  of  Sao  Vicente  l)clongs  to  the  East  d'El- 
Rei  Company,  which  is,  wc  understand,  about  to  be  recon- 
structed. The  gold  is  found  in  a  quartz  vein  that  strikes 
east- west  with  a  dip  of  28°,  and  whose  rock  character  we  have 
already  descrilied.  Burton  says  that  "  failure  is  its  actual 
state,"  but  that  "  the  little  lode  nuiy  pay  if  worked  safely, 
that  is  to  say,  scientifically  and  economically."  A  specimen 
of  the  Sao  Vicente  gold  was  examined  for  me  by  Mr.  Clarke 
of  the  Cornell  Chemical  Laboratory  for  palladium.  There 
was  not  even  a  trace. 

The  Cata  Branca  mines  belong  to  the  Morro  Velho  Com- 
pany, and  are  situated  two  miles  east  of  the  village  of 
Corrego  Secco.  The  following  notes  on  the  mines  arc  from 
Burton  f  :  — 

"  The  serra  of  Cata  Branca  trends  where  mined  from  east  of 
north  to  west  of  south.  The  containing  rock  proved  to  be  mica- 
ceo\is  granidar  quartz  with  visible  gold,  as  in  California.  The  strike 
was  N.  1.5°  W.,  and  the  dip  80°  to  85° ;  in  some  places  the  stratifi- 
cation was  nearly  vertical,  in  others  it  was  bent  to  the  slope  of  tlio 

*  Captain  Burton,  Highlands  of  the  Brazil,  Vol.  I.  p.  174. 
t  Vol.  I.  p.  182. 


THE   GOLD-MINES   OF   BRAZIL. 


o4: 


mountain,  and  generally  it  was  irregular.  The  lode,  narrow  at  tlie 
surface,  widened  below  from  six  to  eighteen  feet,  and  the  greatest 
dejjth  attained  was  thirty-two  fathoms." 

He  describes  the  veiii-rock  as  varying  granular  to  compact, 
and  states  that  canga  and  jacutiiiga  occur  here. 

"The  lode,  which  could  not  be  called  a  '  constant  productive,' 
abounds  in  vu/jhs,  or  vein  cavities,  tubes,  pipes,  and  branches,  called 
by  the  Brazilian  miner  '  Olhos,' — eyes,  surrounded  by  a  soft  ma- 
terial, mainly  running  vertically,  and  richer  in  free  gold  tiian  the 
average.  Near  these  pockets,  but  not  disseminated  through  the 
vein,  was  a  small  cpuuitity  of  auriferous  jjyrites,  iron  and  ai'senical. 
A  little  fine  yellow  dust,  oxide  of  bisnuith,  ran  down  the  middle  of 
the  lode  and  gave  granular  gold.  The  best  specimen  averaged 
from  21.75  to  22  carats,  our  standard  gold. 

"  The  Santa  Antonio  lode  lay  parallel  with  and  east  of  the  Cata 
Branca.  The  Aredes  mine,  eight  miles  to  the  southwest,  was  lie- 
yond  the  peak  ;  hej'c  the  serra  is  covered  with  boulders  of  hard 
quartz,  very  numerous  at  the  base  of  the  great  vein.  Tliey  rest 
on  the  common,  soft,  variously  colored  clays  of  the  countj-y,  and 
are  intersected  with  lines  of  sugary  quartz,  which  gave  a  very  little 
very  fine  gold.  This  formation  extends  fiir  to  south  and  west  of 
Itabira ;  openings  were  made  in  it,  and  one,  the  '  Sumidouro,'  was 
successful.  Aredes  showed  also  a  small  formation  of  jaeotiuira 
containing  red  gold,  sometimes  alloyed  with  palladium  and  accom- 
panied with  oxide  of  manganese." 

In  1843  M.  d'Osory,  geologist  of  the  expedition  of  Count 
Castclnan,  visited  and  examined  the  Cata  T]nuica  mine.  He 
reported*  that  at  the  locality  the  rocks  consist  of  itacoliunite 
and  clay  slates  alternating,  and  in  strata  almost  ])cr{)endic- 
iilar.     He  described  the  auriferous  vein  as  running  nearly 

*  Castclnan,  Kxpc'dilion  ddiis  VAm&i'pie  dc  Siid,  Hist.  <hi  ]'oii(iqc,  Tome  I. 
p.  244.    By  a  bhiiulfr  in  pagination,  pp.  241  -2jG  arc  rci)eatu(l  in  this  volume. 

I  I 


5-tG 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GKOGRAl'HY. 


iiortli-soutli  aii»l  traversed  by  fissures  or  faults  in  wliidi 
the  gold  occurred.  It  was  also  found  in  the  fissures  Tor  ;i 
distance  of  two  or  three  palms  on  each  side  of  the  line  ol 
the  faults,  tog-ether  -with  bismuth.  Sometimes  gold  wa- 
found  where  the  vein  (juartz  came  in  contact  with  the  cii- 
elosing  j-oek ;  the  interior  of  the  vein  was  very  bancu. 
D'Osery  thought  that  originally  the  vein  was  composed  nf 
pure  quartz,  which  was  afterwards  disturbed  and  the  gold 
and  bismuth  introduced  by  sublimation. 

The  mine  i»roved  a  failure  because  of  bad  working  and  n 
want  of  economy. 

Gold-washings  occur,  as  already  described,  in  almost  e\ci'v 
province  in  the  empire. 

In  !Maranhao  is  a  mine  belonging  to  a  company  called  the 
Montes  Aurcos  Gold-Mining  Com])any  (limited).  I  know 
nothing  of  it  further  than  that  it  is  said  so  far  to  lune 
been  worked  with  but  little  success. 

The  generally  received  opinion  that  the  gold-mines  uf 
Brazil  are  exhausted  is  a  very  great  mistake.  There  aic 
still  surface  dej)0sits  of  great  extent  which,  with  modciii 
appliances,  could  be  successfully  worked.  The  underground 
wealth  of  the  country  is  almost  untouched,*  and  if  (lie 
mining  puldic  of  America  knew  Brazil  better,  I  am  j)or- 
suaded  that  the  gold-fields  of  that  country  would  not  lie 
neglected  by  American  capitalists. 


*  In  this  boliofi  am  supported  by  Burton,  and  Liais,  in  treating  of  tlie  licad 
of  the  liasin  uf  the  SiIo  Francisco,  says  :  "  Quant  aux  fiions  pyritcux  (jui  ahon- 
dent  dans  les  regions  niontagneuses  circonscrivant  le  I)assin  du  San  I-'raiuiscd, 
et  oil  ses  divers  affluents  prennent  leur  source,  ils  sont  et('  ti  peine  attaqiu's. 
C'est  la  cependant  que  reside  hi  grandc  richesse  anrif  ere  do  hi  province  de  Miiia-- 
Geraes.  Car  c'est  de  hi  surface  de'coniposec  de  ces  tilons  pyriteux  qu'i'tair  firo- 
venu  I'or  (pii  fiit  jadis  retire  des  d('p6ts  meul)ics  "  —  D'  .S'lii-Fraticisco  uu  IJn'ail, 
par  M.  Liais,  Ltiill.  dela  .Socitte  Gicxjrnjihir-,  5""  Se'rie,  E.  2,  p.  yu'J. 


BtSUMt   OF   THE   GEOLOGY   UF   DIIAZIL. 


:>47 


atinjr  of  the  lieml 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

RESUME   OF   THE   GEOLOGY   OF   BRAZIL. 

Eo.oie  Rocks  nn>l  th.!.  Distribut.on  in  Bnuil.  -  M-nce  of  Li.ne.tono.  - 
The  Silunan  A,c  in  Brazil. -Tl..  Auvitlvous  Clay-Slat.s  ot  M.-M-o ha- 
bly  Lower  Silurian. -Note  on  tl.e  Silurian  of  t!.e  An.les.  -  li.e  D.smhn- 
tiol,  of  Murine  Anin.als  in  the  I'aheo.oie. -The  Devonian  A,e  m   l.ra.,1 
and  South  America.  -  The  Ca.honiterous  of  lira.il  and  lU.hvuu  -  1  he  Neu- 
Rcd    Sandstone, -The    Cetaceous,  its  Distribution   in    P.ra.d  and   South 
A,nerica.- Several  distinct  Periods  represented.  -  Tertiary  l^-'"- -  1>>"^- 
-The  Glacial  Phenomena  of  I'atauonia.  -  Tapanhoacan^a.-  I  he    Dntt 
of  Kio   and   of  the    Region  of  Decomposition.  -  The    Drift  of  the    Dry 
lleoion  of  Bahia,  Ser;.ipe,  and  Ala^nas.  -  Kxauunatiou  into  the  Merus  ot 
thc"varions  Theories  proposed  to  account  for  the  Kor.nation  of  the  Bra/dum 
l),i,t  -The  Th.-ory  of  Subacrial  Decomposition.  -  Wave  Aci.on  .lunn-  a 
Subsidence. -Wave  Action  duriu-  Fdevation.  -  All  these  Theories  unsat- 
isfactory—The Glacial  Hypothesis  the  most  reasonable. 

j;ozoic.  —  T\\o  gneiss  of  the  province  of  Rio  de  Janeiro  is 
an   orthoclase  variety,  varying    from    schistose   to   coarse- 
grained and  porphyritic,  or  homogeneons  and  granitic ;  so 
far  as  I  have  been  al)le  to  observe,  it  is  everywhere  stratified, 
and  consists  of  metamorphic  sedimentary  deposits.    Tbough 
mnch  of  the  rock  wouhl  be  described  as  granite  if  seen  in 
the  hand  specimen  or  in  a  single  quarry,  I  have  never  failed 
to  fmd  the  large  masses  stratified,  so  that  in  this  work  1 
have  inclnded  all  the  varieties  under  the  general  head  of 
gneiss.     These  rocks  in  tlie  province  of  Rio  arc  of  great 
Thickness,  and  the  Serra  do  Mar  and  the  Scrra  da  Manti- 
.pieira  are  wholly  composed  of  them.     According  to  Pissis 
llicy  are  divided  into  two  groups,  an  upper  and  L.wcr,  sub- 
divided as  follows :  — 


I'l 


U8 


GF.OLOGY   AND   I'lIYSICAL   GEOGRAl'IIV. 


Upper. 


Lower. 


Giieibs,  with  nuiuoroiis  lioiivy  beds  of  ([imrtzite,  and  an 
iibuiulaiicc  of  ininerul  veins  which  ure  not  found  in 
the  lower  division. 

1.  Fine-jj'niined  gneiss,  without  garnets  and  with  soiuc 
subordinate  beds  of  quartzite  in  coarse  grains  with  u 
little  mica. 

2.  Gneiss  tine  grained,  very  rich  in  mieu,  and  with  an 
abundance   of  garnets. 

;}.  Porphyritic  gneiss. 

On  crossing  the  j\Iucury  district  I  found  the  gneiss,  which 
was  at  first  coarse  and  i)ori)hyritic,  bcconiing  finer  on  goiuL; 
westward,  an''  finally  giving  way  to  heavy  beds  of  mica- 
slate  or  niica-schistose  gneiss  with  bands  of  quartz.  The 
same  succession  seems  to  obtain  elsewhere  in  Brazil,  llic 
gneisses  proper  being  overlaid  liy  mica-slates,  the  older 
rocks  along  the  coast  generally  lying  to  the  eastward.  Tiiis 
corresponds  very  well  with  what  D'Oi'bigny  says  of  the  suc- 
cession of  similar  strata  in  Bolivia  and  the  Andes,  where  the 
gneisses  are  immediately  overlaid  by  mica-slates.  Elie  dc 
Beaumont  and  other  geologists  of  note  have  long  since  sig- 
nalized the  gneisses  of  the  Serra  do  Mar  as  among  the  very 
oldest  stratified  rocks  of  the  globe.  The  system  of  upheaval 
of  the  gneiss  of  the  Scrra  do  Mar  D"Orl)igny  calls  the  Bra- 
zilian ;  and  Elie  de  Beaumont,  in  his  report  on  the  "  Considv- 
rations  ^ene rales  sur  la  Gcolop^ie  de  V Ameripte  merldlo- 
nale"  by  M.  D'Orbigny,*  says  that  this  system  is  one  of  the 
oldest  known,  and  that  perhaps  it  preceded  the  soulevemcnt 
of  the  most  ancient  system  of  mountains  hitherto  described 
in  Europe.  It  is  certainly  the  oldest  of  the  rock  formations 
of  the  Brazilian  plateau.  When  we  come  to  compare  the 
Brazilian  uneisses  with  the  Laurcntian  rocks  of  Canada  and 


*  Conintfis  Remliis,  28  M:iv,  1843. 


r£sum6  of  the  geology  of  brazil. 


549 


I,  and  with  an 


Europe  wc  find  such  strong  rcsoml)lancc  in  lithological 
cliaracter,  and  in  the  system  of  the  upheaval,  1  can  sec  no 
reason  wljy  we  shoukl  not  refer  them  to  the  cozoie.  The 
axis  of  ui)heaval  is  the  same  as  that  of  the  Laurent  ides. 

In  North  America  heavy  beds  of  limestone  arc  interstrat- 
ificd  with  the  gneiss  of  the  Laurentian.  in  the  Serra  do 
Mar  beds  of  limestone  are  very  rare,  and  the  thin  bed  I  ex- 
amined at  Pirahy  is  the  only  one  1  have  seen  in  the  8erra 
do  Mar.  This  contained  only  foint  streaks  of  serpentine. 
Limestones  ajjpear  to  occur  intei'ljedded  with  the  gneiss  at 
Cantagallo.  .Some  of  the  limestones  of  the  interior  of 
Bahia  may  belong  to  tlie  same  series. 

The  absence  of  clay-slates  among  the  gneisses  in  Brazil 
recalls  also  the  Laurentian  of  North  America.  There  can  be 
little  doubt  that  the  great  mass  of  the  gneisses  of  the  coast 
provinces  north  and  south  of  Rio  are  cozoie,  Iiut  these  rocks 
liave  in  tlie  northern  provinces  l»een  so  slightly  examined 
that  it  is  impossible  to  describe  them  witli  any  detail,  and 
some  of  the  mica-schists  associated  with  them  may  be  Lower 
Silurian  or  Cambrian.  Along  the  coast  of  tlie  Province  of 
Bahia  there  are  dioritic  gneisses  in  the  series,  and  on  the 
Sao  Francisco  and  elsewhere  we  find  syenites.  The  study 
of  these  old  rocks  in  the  southern  provinces  is  attended  with 
immense  difficulty,  owing  to  the  forests,  the  decomposition 
of  the  surface,  and  the  thickness  of  the  drift.  ]]ut  in  the 
tlricr  northern  provinces,  where  the  rocks  are  more  exposed 
and  less  affected  by  decomposition,  they  may  ])e  well  exam- 
ined. Li  the  preceding  chapters  I  have  shown  that  gneiss 
is  found  in  every  province  of  the  empire.  Not  only  does  it 
form  the  great  coast  belt  extending  from  ]\[ai'anhao  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Rio  de  la  Plata,  but  it  sends  off  a  band  from 
southern  Minas  Geraes  into  Goyaz,  and  the  Montes  Pyiv- 


550 


Gi:OLOGY    AND   PHYSICAL   GKOGnAIMIY. 


ncos  and  a  eonsidorablo  part  of  the  nunintainons  roj>'i(iii  df 
Central  (Joyaz  are  eompD.sed  of  it.  The  ^-auie  rock  shows 
itself  ill  the  cataracts  of  the  Toeantius,  the  Xingu,  the  Tap;i- 
Jos,  the  Arinos,  and  the  Madeira,  showiiij^  that  the  tahlc- 
laiid  of  Brazil  is  everywhere  underlaid  l»y  it. 

In  the  {)rcseiit  state  of  our  knowledj^'e  of  the  stratigraphy 
of  these  rocks  it  is  (piite  iin))ossilile  to  do  more  than  .u;u('s.s 
at  their  thickness,  for  as  in  Canada  and  elsewhere  there  arc 
numerous  reversed  folds,  and  one  may  travid  for  iiiil(>s 
over  the  surface  of  the  Brazilian  gneisses,  linding  them 
always  highly  inclined,  and  all  dipping  in  the  same  way. 
The  Serra  do  Mar,  where  crossed  liy  the  Dom  Pedro  11.  Rail- 
road, is  a  monoclinal  ridge,  but  it  must  he  coini^oscd  of 
several  reversed  folds,  else  the  thickness  would  be  enor- 
mous. 

The  highlands  of  Venezuela  and  Guiana  arc  Inrgoly 
composed  of  gneiss  similar  to  that  of  Brazil,  and  disturlied 
by  the  same  system  of  ii})heaval  as  has  l)een  remarked  ly 
Humboldt,  IVOrljigny,  Agassiz,  and  others,  and  this  gneiss 
area,  bounding  the  Amazonian  valley  on  the  north,  was 
doubtless  an  island  at  the  opening  of  the  palaiozoic  tiiiio. 
The  highlands  of  Brazil  formed  another  island.  Avhile  tin-' 
Chi({uitos  gneiss  region  to  the  south  westward  was  })robably 
another. 

Since  the  foregoing  was  written  and  sent  to  the  jirintcr, 
1  have  been  honored  by  a  visit  from  Pr.  T.  Sterry  Hunt, 
who  has  examined  with  care  the  large  suite  of  metamoriiliic 
rocks  I  brought  liomc  from  Brazil.  Dr.  Hunt  has  kiiully 
furnished  me  with  the  following  note  for  jjublication  :  — 

"  The  irneissic  rocks  of  llio  do  Janeiro  and  the  Serra  do  Mai" 
present  the  characteristic  typcn  of  the  Laureutiau  of  North  Aiult- 
ica,  including  as  they  do  coarse  granitoid  and  porphyritic  varieties 


RfiSUMt   OF    THl::   GKOLoUY    OK    liliAZlL. 


ooi 


wiLli  rod  ortlioclrtso  and  fiuo-gmiuod  gray  and  white  iKindcd  gneisses, 
cften  liornblendic.  'I'lir  wliitu  crystalline  limestone  with  pale  green 
terpentine  which  occnrs  with  these  liruzilian  gneisses  is  nut  distin- 
guishahle  from  that  of  the  Xurth  American  Luurentian.  Tho 
fine-grained,  tender  niicaceous  and  hornblendic  schists,  which  in 
IJrazil  sncceed  the  gneisses,  are  very  like  the  similar  rocks  which 
in  some  parts  of  New  England  and  Acadia  ajipear  to  follow  tho 
Lanrentian,  and  arc  associated  with  stanrutide,  cyanite,  and  chias- 
tolite  slates  ;  while  tho  auriferous  aigillites  and  ([uartzites  which 
follow  these  schists  in  Brazil  strikingly  resemble  those  which  iu 
Nova  Scotia  occupy  a  similar  stratigrai)hieal  pt)sition.  This  tri[)lo 
parallelism  in  lithological  and  mineralogical  character  in  tlie  rocks 
of  regions  so  widely  separateil  is  iu  itself  a  strong  iirgumeut  iu 
favor  of  their  geological  ])arallelism.'' 

Silurian.  —  Nohvitlistnnding  all  tliat  lias  been  published 
by  the  various  geologists  who  have  studied  the  gold  region 
of  Minas  Gcracs,  the  cxaet  succession  of  tlie  diiTerent  uiem- 
liers  of  the  metaniorphic  scries  lying  just  inside  of  the  gneiss 
iielt  has  never  been  satisfactorily  worked  out.  Tlie  clay 
and  talcose  schists,  the  itacoluniite,*  itabirite,  and  other  as- 
sociated metamor))hic  rocks  of  this  region  appear  to  be  lower 
jialajozoic  in  age.  I  have  called  attention  to  the  striking 
I'cscmblance  borne  by  the  clay-slates  and  associated  (juartz- 
ites  to  the  gold-bearing  rocks  of  Nova  Si-otia,  and  I  have 
suggested  that  they  may  be  the  e(|uivalents  of  the  Quel)ec 
group  of  North  America.  The  gold-bearing  rocks  in  ^linas 
Geraes  resemble  the  similar  auriferous  scries  of  the  south- 
ern Atlantic  States  in  which  itacoluniite  occurs. 


*  On  ])age  149  I  liave  spoken  of  tho  occurrencL'  on  the  Rio  Gavatiiof  ii  schis- 
tose qnartz  rock  reseniblinff  ii  Siuulstone.  I  luul  not  a  good  o))])()rtiuiityot'  ex- 
iunininjjr  tho  locality,  and  I  doubted  whether  it  was  a  nn'rainiirphic  roik.  X 
fiii'ther  examination  of  a  sjtecinien  of  the  rock  In  company  wiih  iJr.  T.  tj. 
Hunt  has  proved  it  to  i)e  a  true  itucolumite. 


V 


552 


GKOLOGV   ANU   IMIY^rlCAL   Ui:0(JI{Al'llV, 


III 


Clay-nlutos  witli  iiiiriferous  veins  occiu'  in  other  parts  of 
IJi'uzil  lt(>si(les  Minus,  ns,  fur  instanec,  ill  Goyuz,  luul  in  llir 
vieinity  of  Cniahu  in  Matto  Cirossu. 

Tlies(.'  roeks  are  everywliere  so  niotaniorjiliosed,  tliat  all 
trace  of  fossils  lias  been  coniplelely  obliterated.* 

*  The  Silurian  rocks  of  tlic  Ai\ili'S  of  IJolivin  and  IVi\i  liavc  boon  pxnniiiicd 
liy  till'  Kn-ii.-li  ^^I'oloj-ist,  Mr.  Foivlis  (tiuart.  Jour.  (Jeol.  Hoc.  Vol.  XVII.  ji.  ri.'t), 
who  thus  (Ifscrihes  their  distrihution  :  "The  rocks  which  I  have  t;rouii(il  tn 
^'ctlicr  as  |iertaiiiiii},'  to  the  Silurian  ciioch  show  themselves  continuously,  or  very 
nearly  so,  o\t'r  an  area  from  northwest  tt)  southeast  of  more  than  seven  hundrcil 
mill's;  and  the  area  oi'cupied  l)y  them  cannot  lie  estimated  at  li'ss  than  8(i,(t()ii  tn 
lOO.OOO  si|uare  miles.  They  form  the  mountain-chain  of  the  lui^h  Andes,  risiiii; 
to  an  alisoiulo  hei^^ht  of  ii."),(J()()  fict  ahove  the  sen,  and,  in  ilie  part  of  South 
America  more  jmrtieidarly  the  suliject  of  this  memoir,  continuous  throu>:h  I'rni 
from  the  north  ol' Cusco  over  the  snowy  ran;,a'S  of  C'aralniya  and  A]iolloliandia, 
across  the  provinces  of  Muneeas,  Larecaja,  La  I'az,  Yiin;;as,  Siea-Sica,  In(|ni- 
sivi,  Ayopayn,  Coehahaniha,  Ciiza,  Mis([ue,  Chayanta,  Yamparez,  I'orco,  To- 
mini,  and  Ointi  throwing-  otf  spurs  alou}^  the  eastern  side  of  the  main  chain, 
rij::ht  throu;.jh  the  |)rovinee  of  Cau]ioliean  down  to  the  river  Beni  in  Mqjos,  into 
Yuraco"es,  Valle  Gran<le,  Santa  (.h-uz  and  Chu(pnsaea,  and  to  the  east  into  the 
jiroviiiees  of  Oruro,  I'utosi,  and  Chiehas."  The  rocks  consist  of  elay-slaif, 
shales,  and  frraywackes,  and,  —  ivceordinj,'  to  Mr.  Torhes,  they  ]iroltalily  re])ic- 
sent  the  whole  Siluriai\  from  \o\\  to  hottoin.  l)'()rhij;ny  had  already  do- 
scrihed  ten  species  of  Silurian  fossils  from  the  Central  Andes;  to  this  list  Mr. 
Forbes  has  added  nineteen  new  species,  described  by  Mr.  Salter  in  his  paper 
fol.owinjx  that  of  Mr.  Forbes.  The  jreiicra  represented  in  the  Andean  Siluri:m 
are  Crnzeami,  Linjxnla,  Orthis,  Graptolithns,  I'haco|)S,  Asaplms,  Boliviaiia,  Pa- 
tella, Hellerophon,  Area?,  Ctenodonta,  rucnllella,  Strophomena,  Tentaculitcs, 
Beyriehia,  1'  ■"alonotus.  Two  sjieeies  of  Phacops  described  by  D'Orbi^iiy  a'v 
doubtful  I  l)ably  Devonian.    If  we  subtract  these  we  have  left  only  twei.- 

ty-sev  .t  fossils  known  for  the  Andean  Silurian.     In  the  course  of  his 

pa;  alter  makes  an  interesting  remark  that  s])ecii's  in  the  Silurian  had 

a  w  .,  lited  range,  tho.sc  of  India,  Australia,  and  Kuropc  being  entirely  uif- 
ferent.  On  the  other  hand,  the  s])ecies  of  the  Dcvtinian,  esiiccially  of  the  upper 
part,  had  a  very  wide  range,  while  the  carboniferous  tyjies  are  almost  c(js- 
mo]iolitan.  I  must  confess  that,  after  a  careful  stiuly  of  the  carboniferous 
Brachiopoda  of  Nova  Scotia,  I  am  hardly  prepared  to  go  quite  so  far  a"  to 
admit  that  tl'.o  Frodueti  from  Bolivia,  Nova  Scotia,  Ireland,  and  Belgium, 
thrown  together  under  the  name  of  Cunt,  are  all  the  same  species,  and  I  may 


l;fisiMI^;   OF   TIIK   GKOLOliV   OF   DltAZIL.  '.":'. 

This  scnes  olTers  a  largo  niuulxM-  of  crvstalli/cil  niiiicral-;, 
iiinoiig  Nvhicli  arc  the  topaz,  (.'iiclazr,  Ac.  'I'lic  tn|(:i/.i's  of 
.MiiuiH  nj)])('ar  to  l>o  found  in  tliu  cas<:alho  lurnicd  IVoni  tlio 
Ji'liris  ol"  tlu.'.so  rocks. 

Drroiiidn.  —  Sonic  of  the  nictaniorphic  rocks  of  ^^inas 
(!criH!s  or  I)ahia  may  be  devonian,  hnt  1  have  seen  no  i-ocks 
rcferaltle  to  that  age  on  the  coast,  unless  it  be  that  (he  slate 
coniiloniei'nt(!s,  sandstone,  and  shale,  wilh  fossil  planl.^-  found 
on  the  Rio  I'ardo,  may  Ijelong  to  it.* 

Carboniferous. — There  can  be  no  uncertainty  a')out  the 
(•xistciu!0  of  true  carboniferous  strata  in  IJrazil,  for  besides 
tiie  coal  we  have  an  abundance  of  fossil  plants  of  carltonif- 
(M'ous  genera.  The  coal-basins  lie?  just  south  of  the  trojiics, 
lint  within  the  range  of  the  palm,  and  they  are  a  coast  for- 
mation, corresponding  in  this  rcsju'ct  to  the  coal-basins  of 
Acadia,  Massacluisetts,  and  Rhode  Island.  1  know  of  no 
car))oniferous  strata  north  of  Tlio  on  the  coast.  It  would 
i^ccm  as  though  the  depression  of  the  coast  which  allowed 
the  accumulation  of  the  coal-l)eds  of  the  southern  provinces 
liad  not  extended  to  the  north.  The  very  slight  disturb-- 
ance  of  the  coal-beds  is  noteworthy,  as  is  also  their  bitumi- 
nous character.! 


say  the  same  of  tlic  other  Xova  Scotiun  Brachiopoda  rcforrcd  by  the  distin- 
guished Mr.  Davidson  to  European  forms.  But  whetlier  ilie  species  were  or 
were  not  absolutely  cosmopolitan  during;  tlie  earbonlferous,  the  rescmlilanco 
of  the  marine  animals  was  much  {greater  during  the  carboniferous  tiian  before 
that  time. 

*  Messrs.  D'Orbiojny,  Salter,  and  Forbes  refer  to  tlie  devonian  certain  fos- 
siliferous  rocks  of  the  eastern  plateau  of  Bolivia.  See  Forbes,  op.  rit.,  p.  51  ; 
and  Salter,  op.  rit.,  p.  63.  The  Falkland  Islands,  described  by  Darwin,  are 
coin]iosed  of  rocks  prol)ably  belonL'in;,'  to  the  Lower  devonian.  (Quarterly 
Journal  Geological  Society,  London,  Vol.  IL  p.  207,  184G.) 

t  Carboniferous  rocks  are  found  in  the  Rio  Guapore,  one  of  the  brandies  of 
the  Madeira.  The  carlxmiferous  rocks  of  Bolivia  have  been  studied  by  D'<_)r- 
VOL.  I.  24 


554 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY, 


Triassic*  —  I  have  referred  to  the  triassic  a  thick  sorirs 
of  red  sandstones,  litliologically  identical  with  the  Connecti- 
cut River  and  New  Jersey  new  rod  sandstone,  ai»[)arently 
barren  of  fossil  remains,  and  which  occui)y  a  large  area  in 
the  Province  of  Sergii)e,  underlying  the  cretaceous.  Tiicsc 
rocks  arc  more  or  less  inclined.  I  know  of  no  trap  asso- 
ciated with  them. 

Jnrassic.f  —  I  have  seen  no  rocks  on  the  Brazilian  coast 
referable  to  this  age.     I  can  explain  their  absence  only  Ity 

bipny  and  Forbes.  I  ■..vtrai"t  a  short  account  of  these  last  by  D'Artliiiu',  (m'j- 
lo(jie  d  Palcuutologie,  p.  4'J9  :  — 

"  Les  rochcs  cavbonil'oros  de  hi  Bolivic,  sitiic'es  a  I'onest  des  Andes,  se  rcn- 
contrcnt,  pur  places,  eoninio  de  jjctits  bassins  allonges  generalement  du  S.  ().  lui 
N.  E.  situes  au  milieu  de  la  grande  piaine  quaternaire  qui  cntoure  le  hie  du 
Titieaca,  se  montrant  aussi  au  nord  du  lae,  et  plus  au  sud  dans  les  ])i-ovini\.s 
d'Arque  et  d'Oruro.  Le  point  le  plus  has  ou  on  les  observe  est  a  3,8H0  nietres 
d 'altitude  et  on  pent  les  suivre  jusqu'a  4,000  et  4,500  metres.  A  I'ouest  du  hv, 
cntrc  Tiquina  et  la  Guardia,  M.  Forbes  donne  iine  idee  complete  de  la  serie  des 
assises  disposers  en  bnssin  rcnversc'  f  ">rc'sentant  sueeessivement  des  plus  aii- 
ciennes  an\  plus  recentes  qui  oceupci  lilieu  du  plissement,  des  gres  bianes, 
des  conglome'rats  et  des  gres  rouges,  des  argiles  iiianehes  panaehees,  des  enl- 
caires  en  bancs  epais,  bleus  et  jiunies,  des  argiles  schisteuses  panacliees,  un  ca!- 
cairc  blcn  puissant,  cnfin  des  gres  jaunes  et  blanes."  And  in  a  note  he  say^ : 
"Les  fossiles  de  ces  assises,  e'tudies  par  ]\I.  Salter,  sont ;  Prodnrtus  Smiirrtini- 
latiis  {P.  Tncn  d'Orh.)  P.  lonfiisjiiiiiif  {Cdiiiiril  d'Orli.}  Sj)irif(r  Comhr,  S.  Bolirl- 
f«s/s,  At/ii/n's  sulitilild,  Ovthk  rix'ipiiKitn,  O.  Amfii,  Plii/tirfiouilln  nov.  sp.  Eiiom- 
plinliis  (Phnnrrotliiiis?),  BclJprnphoii  voisin  de  B.  Uril.  dos  polyjiiers  et  des 
crinoides  inde'tcrmine's.  Des  provinces  d'Arque  et  d'OiMirn  out  .'t('  obteniis 
les  Spiri/rr  Condor  et  tineatus,  les  Pnxlartus  Cora,  semireticulatus,  Bolirimsift  et 
rOrtlils  Amlli." 

*  Mr.  M.  D.  Forbes  refers  to  tlic  Triassic  or  Permian  a  series  of  re<l  ami 
yellow  sand>itones,  saliferous  and  gypseous  marls,  clays,  gyjisums,  cujiriferous 
sandstones,  and  red  conglomerate  found  in  the  Ande*;,  but  which  contain  w> 
determinable  organic  remains.     (Quart.  Jour.  Geol.  Soe.,  Vol.  XVIL  ]>.  ■'iO.) 

t  Jurassic  rocks  containing  Ammonites,  Terebratuhe,  Sjiirifers,  and  other 
fossil  characteristics  of  that  epoch  have  l)een  found  in  tlie  Andes  by  MM.  Crns- 
nicr,  Mayen,  D'Orbigny,  Darwin,  Donieyko,  Forbes,  &c.  Tiiey  extend  from 
Chili  to  Peru. 


e£sUM6   of   Tin-    GEOLOGY   OF   BRAZIL. 


;)o.) 


supposing  that  during  the  Jurassic  the  coast  stood  higlier 
than  at  present.  In  this  respect  the  Brazilian  coast  would 
resemble  that  of  Eastern  North  America. 

C'-ctaccuus. — The  cretaceous  rocks  of  Brazil  arc  un- 
known on  the  coast  south  of  the  AUrolhos,  which  islands  I 
l)eliove  to  be  outliers  of  this  formation.  Properly  speaking 
the  cretaceous  de])Osits  begin  a  few  mUes  south  of  the  Bay 
of  Bahia,  and  occur  at  intervals  along  the  coast  northward, 
occu^jying,  at  least  in  several  instances,  scjjarate  basins,  some 
of  Avliich  arc  fi'csh-watcr.  AVe  lind  cretaceous  rocks  in 
Bahia,  Sergipc,  Alagoas,  Pernanil)Uco,  Parahyba  do  X(M'te, 
Ceara,  and  Piauhy.  It  is  difficult  to  estimate  their  exact 
extent,  because  they  are  largely  covei'cd  uji  by  tertiaiy 
beds.  It  is  very  proljablc  that  marine  cretaceous  bed^'  un- 
derlie the  tertiary  deposits  throughout  the  wlude  valk'y  of 
the  Amazonas,  but  the  only  place  where  they  show  them- 
selves, so  far  as  I  can  ascertain,  is  on  the  A(iuiry,  an  affbient 
of  the  Rio  Purus,  Avherc  they  have  been  exauuned  by  ^M. 
Chandler,  as  is  stated  l)y  Professor  Agassiz.*  I  am  wot 
aware  that  they  arc  exposed  anywhere  to  the  eastward  on 
either  side  of  the  valley. 

Among  the  cretaceous  rocks  of  Brazil  severnl  jteriods  are 

represented. 

The  fossil  moUusks  of  the  fresh-Avatcr  beds  of  the  Bahia 
Basin  have  a  very  strong  wealden  h)ok,  l>ut  they  arc  asso- 
ciated with  teleostian  fishes  and  other  remains,  which  arc 
certainly  cretaceous.  They  evidently  belong  low  down  in 
the  series,  and  they  may  rei)rcscnt  the  Neocomicn. 

The  compact  limestones  at  ^Nfaroim  aflfording  Ammonites, 
Ceratites,  Natica,  &c.,  arc  probably  middle  cretaceous.  Over 
these  are  the  flaggv  white  ;ind  grayish  limestones  with  Ino- 


*  Journey  in  Brazil. 


ooG 


GEOLOGY   AND   niYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


11^ 


ccramus,  Ammonites,  fish,  <fcc.,  ai)iiarciitly  representing  the 
white  chalk,  Senonicti.  For  the  Iresli-water  beds  at  J>uhia 
I  w(nihl  jiropose  the  name  Bahian  gronj) ;  for  the  Maro'im 
limestones,  that  of  .Sergipian  gronp;  for  the  flaggy  limestone 
beds  near  Ar-ieaju,  the  Cotinguiban  group,  and  for  tlu; 
Aquiry  beds  the  Amazonian  group.  The  cretaceous  of  Bra- 
zil v>  ould  then  be  divided  as  follows :  — 

Amazonian  (jrnvp  (Aquiry)  with  Mosasaurus,  Mtestrichtien  ? 
Cotitujuibaii  ijrnup  with  Inoccrumus,  Ammonites,  ttc,  Seitouicn  1 
Senjipiangrovp  with  Ammonites  and  Cenitites,  middle  cretaceous  i 
Bahian  aroiqi,  Crocodilus,  Pisodus,  species  of  Molania  and  other 

fresh- water  sliells,  cyprids,  Arc,  Xeocomieii  ] 

The  sandstones,  shales,  and  limestones  of  the  Abrolhos 
and  the  lower  Sao  l^rancisco  I  believe  to  be  cretaceous, 
but  I  have  no  fossils  by  which  to  determine  their  exact 
age.  They  may  correspond  in  part  to  the  Sergipian  and 
Cotinguilian  groups.  Those  of  the  Sao  Francisco  are  mud 
and  sand  deposits  instead  of  limestone,  which  accunui- 
lated  along  the  coast  elsewhere  in  clearer  water.  It  will 
be  remembered  that  I  have  dcscril)ed  the  limestones  near 
Pro])ria  as  sandy  and  even  pel)l)ly. 

The  cretaceous  rocks  nowhere  form  very  high  hills. 
They  ai)pcar  to  have  been  deposited  in  a  shallow  sea,  which 
was  not  deep  enough  to  j)enetrate  into  the  Sixo  Francis- 
can valley  above  the  falls.  The  sandstones  al)ove  tlio 
falls,  described  by  Burton  as  cretaceous,  I  am  ])ersuaded 
will  be  found  to  be  tertiary.  The  cretaceous  rocks  ha\o 
suffered  sliirht  disturbance,  and  at  the  Abrolhos  it  is 
worthy  of  note  that  they  are  associated  with  volcanic  de- 
posits. 

At  the  time  of  the  deposition  of  the  cretaceous,  the  north- 


r£suii£  of  Tin:  gi-ology  of  nn.Azii,. 


i>'J  i 


crn  part  of  South  America  was  depressed  more  tliaii  at  pres- 
ent, wliilo  the  coast  ol'  (he  scnitlieru  lu-ovinces  of  Urazil 
seems  to  have  been  higher  than  now. 

In  speaking  of  the  cretaceous  of  South  America,  M. 
D'Archiac,  G'aolog-ie  cl  Palcuntu/og-ie,  p.  024,  says:  — 

"  Xous  avous  fait  voir  que,  d'lijnvs  los  rccherches  de  M.  IF. 
Karsten,  contirmuos  dcpuis  par  cl-Ucs  do  M.  Wall,  uu  pouvait 
prusumcr  cpio  letago  iuferieur  de  la  craie  tutfeau,  le  gault  et  luie 
partic  du  groiipe  neocomien  ctaieut  re})r6seutcs  dans  le  Venezuela, 
particulierenient  dans  les  cordilleres  de  .Merida  et  Truxillo.  Tous 
les  calcaires  cretaces  des  chatnes  du  ce  jiays,  eoinuie  eeux  du  nicnie 
age,  que  \\>n  jsuit  jnsqu'au  Chili,  sont  d'ailleui's  entieivnieiit  Udirs, 
liitumineux  et  semblablcs  a,  ceux  des  Lrrandes  niontaLfues  do 
I'Europe." 

Tertiary.  —  The  clavs  and  ferruuinous  sandstone  forming 
the  coast  phiins  outside  the  cordilheira  arc  undisturbed, 
and  overlie  the  cretaceous  unconformably.  Tlicy  are  over- 
Uiid  by  the  drift-clays,  winch  descend  from  the  cordilheira 
and  cover  tlicir  glaciated  surfaces,  so  that,  tliough  I  liavo 
nowhere  found  fossils  in  them,  I  have  felt  jr.stified  in 
referring  them  to  the  tertiary.  The  horizontal  beds  of 
clays,  sandstone,  <tc.,  of  the  Jequitinhonlia  and  Siio  Fran- 
cisco valley  are  everywhere  undisturbed,  even  where  they 
closely  ajiproach  the  coast  where  the  cretaceous  rocks  liavc 
suffered  uplieaval.  They  resendde  the  coast  beds,  except 
that  tliey  are  thicker,  stand  at  a  very  nnicli  h.gher  level, 
and  in  some  cases  form  beds  of  pure  sandstone  and  con- 
glomerate witli  limestone  and  iron  ore.  They,  too,  are  cov- 
ered by  the  drift-clays.  1  sujjpose  that  they  arc  also  ter- 
tiary, but  older  than  the  coast  clays.  To  the  same  group 
evidently  belong  the  horizontal  deposits  of  the  [datean  ')f 
Sao  Paulo,  similar  strata  occu[iying  the  upper  part  of  the 


C5S 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


valley  of  the  Parahyba  do  Siil,  and  the  clays  and  sand- 
stones of  the  elevated  })lains  of  the  north.  These  beds 
must  have  been  dejjositcd  when  the  continent  stood  !ii 
a  level  full  3,000  feet  lower  than  at  present.  The  male- 
rial  was  evidently  derived  from  the  wearing  away  uf  tlic 
decomposed  gneissosc  rocks,  and  it  ai)))ears  to  have  b(N'ii 
dej)Osited  rapidly  in  a  nniddy  sea,  not  favorable  for  the 
existence  of  life.  After  these  beds  were  deposited  tlie 
coast  rose  verv  unifoi-mlv,  and  tliey  suffered  verv  extcn- 
sivc  denudation.  Along  the  coast  outside  the  cordilhcira 
there  were  deposited,  j)robal)ly  in  a  large  part  made  uji  of 
the  results  of  the  older  Ijeds,  the  coast  saiulstoncs  and  clays. 
According  to  my  own  observation  the  ui)])er  level  (jf  llic 
coast  clays  south  of  Bahia  is  always  nuich  below  the  level 
of  the  lowest  beds  of  the  older  l»cds.  I  have  never  seen 
them  tie  in  with  one  anolhcr,  l»ut  I  strongly  suspect  that  in 
the  vicinity  of  Monte  Pascoal  an  outlier  of  the  older  beds 
lies  surrounded  b}'  tlie  newer. 

The  stratified  and  loose  sands  and  clays  of  the  Tabolciros 
at  Alagoinhas  ap])ear  to  be  older  than  the  drift.  They  arc 
certainly  newer  than  the  Coast  Tertiary  group.  They  need 
much  more  study,  and  I  nmst  confess  that  there  arc  some 
puzzling  ])oints  in  connection  with  them.* 

Drift.  —  In  South  America  from  Tierra  del  Fuego  north- 
ward, to  at  least  41°  S.,  glacial  ])henomcna  have  been 
observed  and  reported  by  Darwin  and  others,  and  tlieso 
phenomena  apjjear  to  be  identical  with  those  so  well  studiotl 
in  the  northern  hcmis]»here.  Drift  occurs  in  the  Falkland 
Islands  (Darwin),  Australia,  and  New  Zealand.  The  An- 
tarctic Continent  is  buried  in  ice  and  snow.  No  doubt  can 
exist  that  a  drift  period  prevailed  over  the  southern  part  of 

*  Tertiary  rocks  are  found  over  large  areas  both  north  and  south  of  Er.i/.il. 


EtSUMl^:  OF  THE  GEOLOGY  OF  DRAZIL. 


550 


the  southern  hemis])herc.  D'Archiac*  has  ah-eady  called 
attention  to  the  fact  that  no  mention  of  either  striae,  fur- 
rows, or  polished  surfaces  has  heen  made  by  those  who  have 
studied  the  drift  of  South  America,  which  seems  very  re- 
markahle.  lie  suggests  that  it  may  be  perhaps  owing  to 
a  want  of  attention  on  the  ])art  of  tlie  travellers. 

It  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that,  when  Professor  Agassiz 
claiuied  in  1865  to  have  found  glacial  drift  in  the  vicinity 
of  Rio,  scientific  men  were  astonished  and  doulited  the  coi - 
rectncss  of  the  Professor's  deductions  ;  and  when  from  under 
the  ecpiator  he  reported  the  discovery  of  glacial  moraines 
the  statement  seemed  past  belief. 


In  the  preceding  pages,  in  eonnccliti-  with  a  careful 
descrii)tion  of  the  Brazilian  coiist,  I  have  noted  with  much 
detail  the  occun-ence  of  certain  surface  deposits  northward 
to  Pernaml)uco,  at  least,  which  dcjiosits  I  have  claimed  to 
be  glacial  drift.  I  propose  now  in  this  chapter  to  bring 
together  as  concisely  as  possible  all  the  facts  bearing  u[M)n 
this  subject,  and  then  to  discuss  them  for  the  lairjjose  of 
showing  that  no  other  hypothesis  than  that  of  the  glaciation 
of  the  coast  is  sufficient  to  account  for  them. 

\"on  Eschwcge  descriltcs  a  formation  which  is  known  in 
Minas  Geraes  as  Tapanoacanga.^      It  consists  of  angular 

*   GAifiyili' I't  Pale'ontnJn'jio,  p.  719. 

t  Von  Ksi'liwcfre,  in  liis  (Jioiimstixrhfs  Gnnitldp  von  nrnsHim,  ]).  30,  y:ives  so 
interesting  an  acconnt  of  tlie  Tapanhoacanga  tliat  I  translate  it  almost  entire. 
He  says :  "  This  rock  is  composed  of  sharp-cornered,  an^rnlar,  rarely  slightly 
rounded  frau'nients  of  micaeeotis  iron  (I'iaftyilinimir],  specular  iron,  and  ma^:- 
netic  oxide  of  iron,  held  together  by  a  red,  yellow,  or  brown  ochrcons  cement. 
Tlie>e  fragments  are  from  several  lines  to  eight  inches  in  diameter.  It  is. 
often  verv  aurifemiw,  and  contains  sometimes  scales  of  talc  chlorite,  and 
here  and  there  fragments  of  itacolnmite.     The  cement  beeumes  in  some  jilacc! 


5G0 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


V 


or  rounded  fVfigmcnts  of  micaceous  iron  and  otlicr  rock«; 
cemented  together  hy  an  oclucous  paste,  which  somctinics 
exists  without  the  gravel.  Tiiis  formation,  with  a  thickness 
of  from  six  to  nine  feet,  more  or  less,  he  states,  wraps  the 
higliest  mountains  round  about  like  a  mantle.  The  sanic 
material  is  found  elsewhere.  Mawc,  in  his  dcscri[)tion  of 
the  mines  of  Jaragua  in  Sao  Paulo,  speaks  of  the  gold  as 

so  iibundiint  that  the  ciiil)eJiIed  pieces  are  not  visible  ;  this  then  forms  ilis- 
tiiict  (k'ljosits  of  red  ironstone  in  tiiin  layers,  containinfj  ordinarily  inaiiv 
little  flakes  of  mica.  This  rock  is  not  only  fuiind  in  the  valleys  and  on 
the  slojjcs  of  the  mountains,  hut  it  covers  their  most  elevated  ri(l;,''es  anil 
flanks  like  a  sort  of  mantle  from  half  a  toise  to  a  toise  and  a  half  in  tliick- 
ness  [a  toise  equals  6,3'J5  feet]  ;  it  is  in  geni:ral  superimposed  upon  the  fer- 
ruginous schist  and  clay-slnte  The  most  important  foreign  mhieral  depos- 
its found  in  it  are  brown  lueinatite  and  wavellitc,  which  occur  in  consider- 
able masses  near  Villa  Rica The  Serra  do  Tapanhoacanga  near  Con- 

gonhas  do  Campo  (I'lovinee  of  Minas),  whose  summit  rises  to  a  height  of 
4,800  feet,  is  completely  covered,  over  an  area  of  several  miles ;  all  the  H.iuk 
of  the  mountain  where  Villa  Kiea  is  situated  is  incrustcd  with  it;  the  surface 
is  overturned  hy  the  mining  works.  The  Campo  de  Sarameuha,  vis-a-n's.  U  a^ 
if  paved  with  it.  It  is  abundant  along  the  route  from  Villa  Hica  to  Serro  do 
Frio;  it  is  jirohably  also  foun>l  in  the  Province  of  Goyaz.  Tapanlwacan^a  »\<:- 
nifies  in  an  African  idiom*  negro's  head  ;  the  miners  have  given  this  name  to 
the  rock  in  fpiestion  because  of  its  uneven,  knotty  surface,  which  appears  con- 
cretionary like  an  hrematitc.  It  is  difficult  to  exjdain  the  origin  of  this  con- 
glomerate. The  angular  fragments,  the  irretrularity  with  which  they  are  jiilcil 
U])  one  on  the  other,  the  manner  in  which  this  rock  covers,  like  a  coat  or  glar- 
ing, the  top  and  Hanks  of  the  mountains,  tend  to  make  one  believe  that  it  is  not 
the  result  of  the  rapid  degradation  of  the  ferruginotis  mountains  which  t'orii'dl 
only  the  most  elevated  points  in  the  country,  and  of  which  the  peak  of  Itabira, 
the  Serra  da  Piedade,  and  others  are  the  remains,  l)ut  that  it  is  due  to  the  ex- 
tremely prompt  drying  up  of  the  liquid,  which  sojotirned  formerly  on  the  moun- 
tains, and  has  brouglit  there  the  fragments  which  to-day  cover  them.  These 
cotdd  not  follow  the  litpiid  to  the  bottom  of  the  valleys,  and  were  arrested,  lii<o 
solidified  lavas,  on  the  iTiidst  of  the  slopes.  The  disorder  with  which  they  are 
piled  up  proves  sufficiently  that  the  deposit  was  not  gradually  made."  Caste!- 
uau  says  that  the  canga  is  certainly  of  ])lntonic  origin! 

*  Tlii?  i?  not  Afrionn,  but  Tiijii,  Titpriiiliuiia  ineiiiiing  nfi;rn,  ami  ncaiii;n  head. 


EtSUMli  OF  THE  GEOLOGY  OF  I'.RAZIL. 


'A\l 


ncaiiirn  hen  J. 


occurring  in  a  layer  of  cascallio,  —  lie  writes  it  incorrectly 
cascalhao,  —  or  gravel  of  rounded  pelihles,  principally  (]iiartz, 
which  wrai)S  the  hills  round  ahout,  and  is  covered  l)y  a 
sheet  of  soil.  This  surface  deposit  rests  on  gneiss.  At 
Minas  Novas  the  gold,  as  Ave  have  already  descril)ed,  has 
been  mined  from  a  similar  gravel  conqx^sed  of  rounded 
(juartz  pebbles,  i*cc.,  with  a  ferruginous  cement,  ami  over- 
laid by  a  similar  bed  of  clay,  the  whole  resting  on  clay-slate 
decomposed  in  })lace. 

At  Rio  the  rounded  surface  of  the  decomposed  gneiss  is 
covered  by  the  same  sheet  of  (piartz  i)ebldcs  and  ovei'lying 
clays,  and  all  the  })r()vince,  excejit  the  Ihit  alluvial  jilains, 
such  as  border  the  coast,  and  whose  elevation  is  usually  less 
than  twenty  feet,  is  covered  with  the  same  deposit  to  the 
tojjs  of  the  highest  hills  I  have  examined.  The  peld.dc 
sheet,  it  is  true,  varies  in  thickness,  and  in  some  localities  is 
absent,  especially  over  areas  in  which  quartz  veins  arc  not 
abundant.  In  some  jjlaccs  the  pebbles  arc  coarse,  in  others 
fme,  and  occasionally  we  find  intermingled  with  them  frag- 
ments of  gneiss,  traj)  or  tertiary  sandstone.  We  (liid  tliesc 
surfiico  deposits  everywhere  lying  immediately  over  a 
rounded  surlacc  of  gneiss,  albeit  the  rock  may  be  decom- 
j.osed  to  a  great  dejith.  The  pebldes  and  rock  fragments 
are  not  confined  to  the  i)el)l»lc  sheet  alone,  but,  sometimes 
rounded,  sometimes  angular,  they  are  freipiently  found  in 
the  overlying  clay.  This  last  may  vary  greatly  in  thii'kness 
and  color,  but  the  general  comi)osition  is  very  uniformly 
the  same.  The  whole  deposit  is  everywhere  without  struc- 
ture, presenting  no  trace  of  stratification.  Tlie  same  layers 
extend  over  the  provinces  south  of  Rio.  To  the  northward 
they  are  found  all  over  ^Minas.  I  have  seen  them  covering 
uniformly  the  hills  of  Espirito   Santo,  and   the  coast  of 


24  * 


JJ 


r.ijj 


GEOLOGY   AND   I'lIYSICAL   GKOGRAPUY. 


i 


Bahia,  Scr.u'i))0,  Alagoas,  and  Pcrnanilmco.  Xortlnvanl  I 
have  mysulf  iKjt  seen  tlieso  doposits,  hut  Professor  Agas>iz 
ro})orts  their  existenee  in  various  localities  on  the  coast 
north  of  Pernanibuco,  and  in  the  valley  of  the  Ama/.onus 
westward  to  the  confines  of  Pei'u. 

At  Rio,  as  described  by  Professor  Agassiz  in  the  "Journey 
in  Brazil,"  and  by  myself  in  the  ehai)ter  on  llio  de  JaneiiD, 
there  arc,  in  the  valley  of  Tijuca,  near  Rio,  and  elscwheic. 
deposits  of  immense  l)ouldcrs  of  trap,  gneiss,  Arc,  which 
are  evidently  moralnic  and  the  work  of  local  glaciers;  ami 
the  Professor  has  described  similar  moraines  as  existing  in 
the  Province  of  Ceard.  The  peljblo  and  clay  sheet  covers  a 
largo  })ortion  of  the  province  of  !Minas,  and  is  found  nut 
only  on  the  hills,  but  on  the  campos.  In  the  provinces  of 
Bahia,  Sergipe,  Alagoas,  and  of  the  north  there  is,  as  I  have 
described,  a  zone  of  dry  country,  lying  just  behind  the  coast 
forest  belt,  and  largely  composed  of  gneiss,  mica-slate,  ami 
the  like,  over  which  the  surface  deposits  consist  of  boulders 
of  rock  of  all  sizes,  rounded  and  angular,  scattered  over  the 
surface,  and  sometimes  })iled  up  in  confusion,  Avith  very 
little  soil,  the  rock  fretpiently  being  bare  ;  witli  these  occur 
rounded  quartz  pebbles.  The  surface  of  the  gneiss  country 
in  this  dry  zone  in  Bahia,  as  ol)scrved  by  ^Messrs.  Alien 
and  Xicolay,  and  in  Hergipo  and  Alagoas  by  myself,  is  re- 
markably even,  and  over  large  tracts  f(jrms  a  plain.  Tlio 
topograpliy  is  remarkable  for  shallow  de})ressions  without 
outlets,  forming  ponds  during  the  rainy  season.  Mr.  xVlleii 
describes  having  seen  inuncnse  pot-holes  worn  in  the  rocks 
by  the  action  of  falling  water  on  some  of  the  highest  swell- 
ings and  elevations  of  these  plains,  now  far  away  from  any 
obstacle  over  which  water  could  be  precipitated. 

Such,  in  brief,  are  the  characteristic  features  of  the  sur- 


iM'SI'm£  of  tmf.  geology  of  brazil. 


5G3 


i  of  the  sur- 


laco  deposits  uf  the  JJriiziluui  coast,  to  whieli  I  have  ai)i)hed 
the  name  ol'  drift.  1  have  many  times  called  attention  to 
the  rounded  surface  on  which  the  drift  rests,  though  1  have 
nowhere  seen  either  polished  or  striated  rocks,  which  is 
not  at  all  wonderiul,  as  the  surface  of  the  rock,  wherever 
1  luivc  examined  it,  even  where  the  decomposition  was  least, 
as  on  the  Rio  de  Sao  Francisco  below  the  Falls  of  l*aulo 
AffV)nso,  was  always  more  or  less  decomposed. 

Nowhere  over  the  whole  region  covered  l)y  the  drifts  do 
we  find  other  water  deposits  than  those  clearly  referalde  to 
the  action  of  rivers  or  lakes.  Above  the  old  sea  level  of 
Rio,  Victoria,  Bahia,  Are.  there  are  neither  raised  beaches 
nor  any  other  testimony  of  the  action  of  the  sea. 

All  this  innncnsc  sheet  of  structureless  clays,  gravels,  and 
boulder  deposits  stretching*  along  the  whole  coast,  and  cov- 
ering alike  the  coast  tertiary  plains,  the  elevated  campos, 
and  the  scrras  from  bottom  to  top,  belongs  to  the  same  for- 
mation, and  is  referable  to  the  work  of  the  same  geological 
agent.  We  have  claimed  with  Professor  Agassiz,  to  whom 
belongs  the  honor  of  the  first  announcement  of  the  occur- 
rence of  drift  in  Brazil,  that  that  agent  was  glacier  ice. 
This  liypothesis  has  been  much  disputed,  and  many  other 
ways  of  accounting  for  the  formation  of  the  sheet  of  detritus 
have  been  proi)oscd.  Among  them  the  most  im])ortant  arc 
tho  following,  the  respective  merits  of  each  of  which  we 
propose  to  examine  in  detail :  — 

I.  Sub-aerial  decomposition. 

II.  Wave  action  acting  over  the  surface  of  the  country 
during  a  slow  subsidence  of  the  coast. 

III.  AVave  action  extending  over  the  surface  during  a 
slow  rise  of  the  land. 

I.   Decomposition.  —  AVe   have  seen   how  dccom})ositiou 


r,CA 


Cii:OI.i)OY    AND   rilYSICAL   GKOfiUAl'IlV 


mny,  as  at  TWn  in  the  case  of  trap-dikes,  at  Victoria,  aiul 
on  the  i>^lan<ls  of  tlic  Ahiolhos,  produce,  Avitli  the  aid  ol' 
rains,  not  oidy  a  soil,  but  houldci's  of  deconi})osition,  Mliicli 
may  lie  rounded  or  angular,  and  resendde  drift  Itouldcrs 
so  closely  as  to  make  it  exceedinuly  ditVicidt  to  dislin- 
^uisli  tlicm  from  ei'ratics.  One  can  easily  conceive  liow, 
in  the  gradual  decomitosition  of  a  bare  surface  of  rock, — 
gneiss,  for  cxami)le, —  as  the  rock  wasted,  the  resultiiii: 
clay  and  sand  may  be  washed  away,  and  spread  over  the 
surface  of  the  soil  on  the  lower  grounds.  Such  is  indeed 
the  ease,  and  one  sees  at  the  foot  of  the  gneiss  precijiices, 
not  only  at  Kio,  but  elsewhere,  a  soil  of  this  kind.  It 
closely  I'csembles  the  drift,  but  is  more  washed,  the  sandy 
))ortion  I'cmaining  near  the  foot  of  the  })reci|)ice,  while  the 
muddy  part  is  carried  farther  off. 

Where  the  surface  of  a  hill  is  very  uneven,  unfurnished 
with  soil,  and  strewn  with  blocks  of  rock,  as  in  the  dry  zone 
of  Bahia,  and  the  Sao  Francisco,  one  may  readily  see  how  by 
decomi)osition  a  structureless  soil  might  be  formed  covering 
the  surface;  but  there  are  a  few  facts  which  make  this  whole 
hypothesis  of  the  formation  of  the  drift  of  no  value.  In 
bluffs,  natm-al  or  otherAvise,  in  the  vicinity  of  Ji'io,  as  well  as 
in  the  cuttings  on  the  Doni  Pedro  Segundo  and  Cantagallo 
railways,  and  on  the  Uniao  e  Industria  road,  and  in  the 
Minas  Novas  region,  one  may  s(X)  a  great  thickness  of  the 
surface  deposit  lying  on  rock  decomposed  in  silu,  and  lying 
inidisturlted  on  the  solid  rock.  Though  in  old  excavations 
it  is  very  diflficult,  in  any  fresh  cutting  it  is  the  easiest  thing 
in  the  world  to  point  out  the  line  of  separation  between  the 
surface  detritus  and  the  decom])osed  rock,*  which,  by  the 
by,  may  have  only  the  very  thinnest  coating  of  clay,  or  may 

*  This  line  is  shown  in  the  cnp:ravinf^  on  paje  508. 


Rf:SUMt   OF   THE   GKOLOGY   OF  BRAZIL. 


iJG'i 


'icforia,  and 
I  tlio  aid  of 
sition,  wliich 
fin.  Ixjiddcrs 
(    to    disfin- 
iiK'cive  liow, 
of  rock, — 
It'   resultiiiii- 
lid   over  tlir 
li  is  iudccd 
•  prcM'ijiiccs. 
s   kind.     It 
,  the  sandy 
L>,  while  tlic 

im  furnished 
he  dry  zone 

see  how  by 
:;d  coveriiiii 

tills  whole 

value,     li! 

as  well  as 
Caiitagallo 
iiid  in  the 
less  of  the 

and  lyiiiu- 
xeavations 
siest  thhi<i' 
3twccn  the 
eh,  by  the 
ly,  or  may 


1)0  hare.  The  distiiuition  lietwcon  this  drift  aiul  the  ('e- 
composed  rock  is  of  liu;  sharj)cst  kind.  The  surfaee  (k'posit 
is  without  structure,  and  has  the  same  appearance  that  the 
decomposed  rock  ))elow  would  have  if  it  were  tiround  up, 
and  intimately  mixed  together  without  washinii',  while  in  a 
mass  of  the  dc(!onipos(!d  rock  one  sees  the  rehilivc  arrange- 
inent  of  tiie  materials  preserved  undisturbed,  with  the  (j.iiartz 
veins,  iVre.,  in  i)lace.  The  veins  invariably  terminate  ab- 
ruptly at  the  line  separating  the  decomposed  rock  from  the 
overlying  deposit. 

One  never  sees  a  quartz  vein  tracealde  tiirough  the  elays, 
as  it  certainly  would  be  if  these  had  resulted  from  decom- 
position alone.  Tlie  clay  is  usually  remarkably  free  from 
(juartz  j)ebbles  or  boulders,  and  one  rarely  sees  even  a  peb- 
ble on  the  surface  of  the  ground  in  the  gneiss  regions  near 
Uio,  which  would  certainly  not  be  tlie  case  if  it  were  shnply 
a  product  of  decomposition.  The  greatest  objection  to 
the  theory  under  discussion  is  presented  by  the  sheet  of 
rounded  and  angular  quartz  iicljldes,  for  that  could  never 
have  originated  through  decomposition.  It  is  evidently  the 
result  of  mechanical  action  of  some  kind,  and  I  am  con- 
vinced that  wc  must  refer  the  overlying  clay-sheet  to  the 
same  cause.  It  is  evident  that  the  agent,  whatever  it  was, 
that  rounded  the  pebbles  and  ground  up  the  clays  must 
have  had  some  part  to  play  in  the  moulding  of  the  country, 
though  it  is  to  erosion  and  decomposition  that  I  should 
attribute  the  liroader  to[)Ogra]»hical  features  of  the  coast, 
and  I  would  refer  to  the  agent  that  formed  the  drift  the 
moulding  of  the  actual  surface  on  which  the  superficial 
(lei)osits  now^  rest. 

Let  us  now  discuss  the  merits  of  the  hypothesis  thai  the 
surface  detritus  has  been  the  result  of  water  action,  and 


li' 


5GG 


GI'OLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GKOGRArilY. 


cxjiinlnc  tlic  two  llieorics  of  wave  action  brouglit  to  lioar 
over  the  eouiitry  cluriujjj  a  gradual  I'i.se  of  the  hiii<l  IVom 
the  sea,  and  of  shnilar  action  exerted  in  like  manner  over 
the  country  ihu'ing  a  snhsidencc. 

II.  Wfwe  Action  during-  a  Rise  of  the  Land.  —  It  has  been 
suggested  tiuit,  in  a  rise  of  the  hmd,  wave  action  brought  to 
hear  over  the  surface  miglit  leave  a  coating  of  loose;  mate- 
rial similar  to  the  drift  strewn  over  the  whole  country,  hut 
1  nnist  confess  that,  even  for  a  single  isolated  hill,  I  can- 
not see  how  this  theory  would  have  the  slightest  weight, 
for  it  could  never  produce  an  arrangement  of  the  materials 
such  as  actually  exists.    Suppose,  for  instance,  that  we  have 


a  hill  a  few  hundred  feet  in  height,  and  which  is  rising. 
At  a  certain  time  the  sea  level  is  found  at  a,  so  that 
the  waves  will  wash  the  hill-top.  No  one  who  has  boon 
on  the  sea- shore  will  doubt  that  the  ctTect  will  be  to 
remove  the  finer  materials,  and  carry  them  otT  to  be  de- 
posited somewhere  in  quiet  water  ;  and  this  is  the  nat- 
ural effect  of  the  sea  where  it  breaks  against  a  slope  or 
over  a  ridge.  It  may  be  that  on  the  sides  of  the  moun- 
tain these  materials,  if  in  sufficient  abundance,  may  !)C 
deposited,  and  wc  will  suppose  that  they  are  so  dcj)os- 
ited  at  e,  but  on  steep  slopes  we  should  not  expect  to  find 
them.  Gravels  and  sands  would  be  washed  by  the  waves 
into  deeper  water,  but  could  rest  only  on  gentle  .slopes.  If 
the  slope  from  o  to  e  were  twenty  or  more  degrees,  and 


Rl'lSUMf:   OF   THE  GKOLOOY   OF   r.RALIL 


.ill 


llic  lnn<l  should  rise  <rrii(liially  so  as  to  l)i'iii<r  wiivo  action  to 
hoar  siu'c'i'ssivcly  over  that  slope,  wo  sliouM  oxpoot  to  llml 
the  rork  surface  rfwepi  (piitc  clean  of  loose  materials,  only 
sand  and  i^ravel  heing  thrown  heyoml  the  reach  of  the  waves 
into  hollows  or  Hat  places  on  the  rucks;  and  it  seems  to  mo 
that  the  result  of  such  a  rise  would  be,  even  if  there  were 
already  a  coaling  of  decomposed  rf)ck  on  the  surface,  only 
lo  wash  it  over  and  gully  it  out  on  the  hill  tojis  and  sides, 
if  it  were  deep,  and  cover  it  with  sand  and  gravel,  or  to  re- 
move it  entirely,  leaving  the  hill  tops  and  sides  hare,  tho 
loose  materials  heing  transjjortod  into  the  valleys,  and  there 
left  as  stratified  deposits;  and  not  oidy  in  tlu;  valleys,  l)ut 
u[)()n  Hat  }»laces  on  the  hill-sides,  should  we  expect   to  tind 
such   dei»osits.     Now  we   find   nothing  of  the  sort.     Asso- 
ciated with  the  drift  are  neither  sands  nor  stratified  de|)osit3 
of  any  kind.     Besides,  this  hypothesis  docs  not  t(jucli  the 
question  of  the  formation  of  the  great  angular  and  rounded 
Itoulders  unassociated  with  sands  strewn  over  the  dry  zone, 
nor  does  it  explain  the  transport  of  boulders  over  an  ii'i-eg- 
ular  surface.     The  tendency  would  have  been  to  swecj)  tho 
hill-tops  and  the  steeper  and  seaward  slopes  bare,  which 
is  not  the  case. 

III.  Wave  Action  during  a  Subsidence.  —  The  hypothesis 
of  the  action  of  waves  over  the  country  during  a  slow 
subsidence  of  tho  land  is  ecpially  untenable.  On  a  gentle 
slope  sands  and  gravels  would  be  formed,  and  perhaps 
deposited  immediately  upon  the  rock,  and  this  sheet  one 
might  sui)posc  drawn  up  like  a  curtain  over  the  hills  as 
the  land  sank.  The  lighter  materials  settling  in  deei)er 
water  might,  at  tho  same  time,  form  a  sheet  drawn  up 
over  the  first,  so  that  we  might  have  the  surf\ice  covered 
by  a  sheet  of  sand  and  pebl)les  and  over  this  a  sheet  of  clay. 


508 


GEOLOGY  AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


i 


But  wc  have  the  })chlilc  shoot  unaccompaniod  by  wasliod 
sands,  which  is  something  iiiconi])rohonsiblo  under  this 
hypothesis,  and,  what  is  of  more  in)})ortance,  we  fuid  thoni 
lying  on  slopes  so  steep  that  it  would  ()e  impossible  for  them 
to  remain  unless  supported  by  the  weight  of  the  overlying 
clay.  It  is  ineonii>rehensible  how  water  could  have  formoil 
these  deposits  without  at  the  same  time  laying  down  strati- 
lied  beds  of  sand,  gravel,  ttc.  in  the  valleys,  or  of  leaving 
sand  de|)Osits  on  the  i)lains.  It  is  imi)ossible  that  the  sea 
should  have  been  without  currents  and  without  tides,  and  the 
inevitable  eflect  of  their  action  would  be  to  sweo])  away  the 
lighter  material  and  de])osit  it  along  the  shore.  In  the  ter- 
tiary beds,  not  only  of  the  coast,  l)ut  of  the  interior,  we  have 
an  exami)le  of  a  sandy  deposit  rapidly  thrown  down  in  a 
muddy  sea,  and  which,  Itesides  sand,  contains  a  very  large 
percentage  of  clay,  passing  even  into  j-are  white  clay ;  but 
nowhere  is  it  dilhcult  to  distinguish  these  tei'tiarv  deiiosits 
from  the  drift.  The  tertiary  clays  wei'O  the  products  of 
the  destruction  of  gneiss  and  other  metamorphic  rocks, 
and  so  was  the  drift,  but  in  the  foi-mcr  the  material 
has  been  washed,  though  rarely  ever  arranged.  The  mica 
lias  been  comi)letely  destroyed,  and  one  sees  nothing  of 
it,  while  in  the  drift-earth  it  is  constantly  to  be  found. 
One  would  cxi»ect  that,  if  the  Brazilian  drift  were  a  sedi- 
mentary deposit,  the  clays  would  resemble  those  of  the  icv- 
tiary,  which  is  nowhere  the  case.  They  are  everywhere 
just  such  a  material  as  would  result  from  the  mechanical 
trituration  of  the  rocks,  and  are  Avholly  without  stratilioa- 
tion  or  signs  of  having  been  deposited  l)y  the  action  of 
water.  There  has  been  within  recent  times  a  slow  elo\a- 
tion  of  the  Brazilian  coast.  In  sheltered  as  well  as  ex])os(Ml 
situations  the  do^tosits  which  it  has  brought  above  the  sur- 


^ 


EfiSUMl^:  OF  THE  GEOLOGY  OF  HRAZIL. 


500 


face  consist  of  sand  :  g-ravcls  and  clays  ai-e  oxcoedinnlv 
rare  along  the  exposed  coast.  XowIktc  in  river,  lake,  or 
sea  deposits  have  1  e\('r  seen  on  the  Hrazilian  coast  any- 
thinfr  resemhling  the  drift-clays.  1  have  studied  with  car*; 
the  effect  of  the  action  of  the  sea  on  the  solid  rocks  of 
all  kinds  along  the  coast,  with  the  view  to  ascertain,  if 
possiltle,  whether  the  pecnliar  evenly  moulded  surface  cov- 
ered l>v  the  drift  could  in  any  wav  he  due  to  water  action 
joined  to  the  effects  of  deconijiosition.  Where  the  rock 
is  gneiss  and  very  lioniogeiieous  in  structure,  and  not  well 
hedded,  as  is  the  case  in  the  range  of  hills  skirting  the  sea- 
shore on  hoth  sides  of  the  entrance  to  the  hay  of  Rio,  the 
rocks  swci)t  hy  the  waves  may  have  a  very  smooth  and  i-eg- 
ular  outline,  hut  where,  as  on  the  shores  near  lioa  Viagem 
at  Kio,  Os  Busos,  Ilheos,  or  IJahia,  the  n^ck  is  well  hedded 
and  the  strata  arc  very  liighly  inclined,  the  softer  heds  give 
Avay  first  and  leave  the  harder  j)rojectiug,  and  the  rocks 
witliin  reach  of  the  waves  are  worn  in  the  most  irregular 
manner.  Now  I  do  not  see  how  we  can  resist  the  con(du- 
sion  that,  if  the  surface  clays  and  gravels  were  the  products 
of  wave  action,  we  ought  to  find  tlie  surface  of  the  rock  on 
which  they  rest  showing  some  signs  of  that  action  in  the 
wearing  away  of  the  softer  heds,  leaving  the  har(hM'  stand- 
ing np  ;  hut  this  is  never  the  casj.  Tlie.  2  can  he  no  transi- 
tion more  ahrupt  than  that  from  a  wave-washed,  rock-hound 
shore,  and  the  smooth,  even  outlines  of  the  hills  ahove  tlie 
line  of  wave  action.  Take,  for  instance,  the  coast  hetween 
the  litrhthonse  at  Bahia  and  the  ^forro  do  Conselho,  which 
is  to  a  large  extent  rocky,  and  examine  the  moulding  of  the 
rocks  washed  hy  the  Atlantic  surf,  and  then  compare  it  with 
the  moulding  of  the  rock  on  the  seavrard  side  of  any  of  the 
exposed  hills,  where,  if  washe<l  l»y  the  sea,  the  rock  would 


i>  I 


0 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


liavc  lioon  suljjcctod  to  tlic  poinidinf^  of  tlio  same  surf,  aiil 
you  will  l>e  coiiviuct'd  that  the  mouldiiig  of  the  drift-covi'iiil 
rock-surface  was  due  to  an  agent  that  did  not  respect  sm 
thoroughly  the  dilferencc  in  hardness  hetwcen  the  heds  a< 
water  does.  It  is  useless  to  suppose  that  the  sea  nuglit 
have  waslied  against  a  decom))ose(l  surface  which  miglit 
have  been  rounded  down  l)y  the  surf.  The  wash  of  tlio 
waves  would  have  removed  it  entirely.  The  rounded  wave- 
washed  rocks  on  the  shoi-es  of  Rio  are  hare,  and  it  is  incun- 
ceivablc  how,  in  the  face  of  the  tremendous  Atlantic  sui  f. 
they  could  ever  l)e  covered  l)y  detritus  l)y  wave  action,  as 
all  the  hills  lying  along  ine  C(>ast  of  IJahia  and  Kio  inva- 
riably arc.  Along  the  coast  where  decomposition  j)revails. 
from  the  wetness  of  the  climate,  the  clavs  are  verv  alum- 
dant,  and  it  is  a  rare  thing  to  find  ])0uldei's  of  any  oIIk  i- 
rock  than  quartz  ;  but  in  meastu'c,  as  one  goes  inland  an^l 
ap}»roachcs  the  dry  zone,  as  is  beautifully  seen  on  the  Sao 
Francisco,  the  clays  grow  less  almndant  while  the  peblilc- 
laycr  gradually  passes  into  a  sheet  of  l)oulders  of  ro(dc  scat- 
tered over  the  surface  with  little  admixture  of  earth.  The 
rock  being  of  the  same  general  character  over  large  aivas. 
it  is  usually  a  dilhcult  matter  to  decide  whether  a  boulder 
is  travelled  or  not;*  but  I  have  seen  at  Pii-anhas  syenite 
boulders  lying  on  gneiss,  though  evidently  coming  from  nnt 
far  away,  and  I  have  seen  gneiss  and  qtuirtz  l)ouldcrs  lyinir 
in  the  clays  on  the  tertiary  plain  on  the  Mucury.  I  have 
already  called  attention  to  the  intermixture  of  greenstone 
and  gneiss  botdders  of  innnense  size  hi  the  valley  of  Tiji'.ca. 
occupying  situations  into  which  water  could  not  have 
brought  them,  and  into  which  they  coidd  not  have  fiillcn. 

*  Tliis  is  an  iniportnnt  point  to  lioar  in  mind.     Tiie  ^'colnL'y  of"  Brazil  is  so 
very  simple  that  \vc  find  the  same  kind  of  rock  ovir  immense  are.is. 


r£sum£  of  Till-:  croLOCY  of  hhazil. 


o< 


1 


Xo  one  scciiiu"  llio  Itouldor-scattcrcd  surface  of  Dalua  and 
the  Sao  Francisco,  where  the  de(;onn)osition  is  exceedingly 
sliglit,  wouM  ever,  1  am  persuaded,  seek  for  an  expUmation 
of  the  distribution  of  these  masses  over  tlie  surface  in  run- 
ning water  or  wave  action,  which  hist  wouhl  have  l)cen  \n)\v- 
erless  over  so  uniforndy  level  a  surface.  1  nmst  insist  u])on 
the  fact  that  the  unarranged  materials  arc  precisely  like  our 
umnodified  drift  in  the  north,  and  that  the  surface  of  the 
rock  on  which  they  lie  has  the  moulding  of  Die  surfaces  on 
which  our  northern  drift  lies,  and  that  if  wc  refer  the  north- 
ern drift  to  the  action  of  glacier  ice,  we  nuist  do  the  same 
thiuii'  for  the  Brazilian  sui-face  detritus,  contrary  as  it  is  to 
all  our  preconceived  opinions  of  the  distribution  of  drift. 
The  fact  that  neither  Professor  Agassiz  nor  myself,  nor 
any  one  else  of  our  exj)edition,  has  been  aide  to  dis('o\er 
glacial  striie  in  Brazil  is  of  very  secondary  importance.  The 
drift  itself  exists  all  over  the  country,  and  it  cannot  lie 
exj)lained  away.  I  have  looked  carefully  for  stria?,  Itut 
tlierc  has  been  everywhere  enough  decomposition  of  the  sur- 
face of  the  rock  as  well  as  of  the  boulders  scattered  over  it 
to  have  destroyed  all  trace  of  them.  Once  1  thought  1  ha<l 
found  striiic.  On  the  Pom  Pedro  Segundo  Railroad,  near 
Mendes,  while  enga<;"ed  in  making  an  examination  of  the 
cuttings,  I  found  one  in  which  the  drift-clay  had  been 
removed  from  over  the  decomi)Oscd  gneiss,  exposing  the  gla- 
ciated surfiice.  This  appeared  to  be  quite  fresh,  and  to  my 
surprise  was  deeply  furrowed  with  parallel  stria\  1  took 
pains  to  inquire  of  the  engineers  of  the  road,  and  learned 
that  the  drift  had  slid  off  from  the  upjier  part  of  the  cutting, 
which  was  a  sufficient  explanation.  I  speak  of  this  only  in 
order  to  put  other  observers  on  their  guard  against  l)eing 
deceived  by  any  similarly  striated  surfaces.     I  can  olTcr  Init 


572 


GEOLOGY  AND   PHYSICAL   GEOGRAPHY. 


one  explanation  of  the  formation  of  the  j)ot-liolos  oliscrved 
by  Ml".  Allen,  and  that  is  that  they  wei-e  formed  hy  glacial 
cascades  in  the  same  way  as  the  pot-holes  seen  so  often 
on  the  surface  of  ridges  in  the  north  have  been  formed 
during  the  drift ;  for,  according  to  the  testimony  of  Mr. 
Allen,  the  pot-holes  of  the  Province  of  ]3ahia  occur  on 
the  gneiss  j)lains,  far  away  from  any  present  obstacle  over 
Avhieh  the  water  may  have  flowed.  Mr.  Allen  describes 
them  as  being  exceedingly  well  preserved,  and  having 
smooth  sides. 

The  drift  is,  as  above  stated,  removed  everywhere  down 
to  the  limit  of  wave  action  before  the  later  elevation  of 
the  coast;  but  the  occurrence  of  the  drift  on  some  out- 
lying hillocks  of  the  tertiary  clays  on  the  line  of  the  exten- 
sion of  tlie  Cautagallo  Railroad,  between  Porto  Novo  and 
Porto  das  Caixas,  which  arc  now  surrounded  by  recent 
sands,  made  me  suspect  that  the  clay  was  once  continuous 
below  the  present  sea  level  between  them  and  the  main- 
land. The  fact,  too,  that  it  extended  uniformly  down  to 
the  same  level  everywhere  was  almost  sullicient  jiroof  tlint 
it  formerly  extended  to  a  much  lower  level.  At  Bahia,  as 
already  described,  recent  sands  blown  or  washed  over  the 
drift  have  been  cemented  and  have  protected  it  from  the 
action  of  the  sea,  so  that  it  may  be  seen  extending  l)eneath 
them  down  nearly  to  low  tide.  This  fact  seems  to  prove 
satisfactorily  that  formerly  the  land  stood  at  a  higher  level 
even  than  now.*  Drift  occurs  on  some  of  the  islands  off  the 
coast. 


*  From  tlic  observations  of  Danvin  nnd  others  we  know  that  this  recent 
uprise  lias  been  nmeli  greater  in  the  soutli  than  in  tiie  north,  and  it  seems  to 
increase  in  going  south  from  Kio  to  the  Straits  of  Magellan.  It  would  seem 
that  the  great  movements  just  antecedent  and  posterior  to  the  drift  period  in 


EfiSUMfi   OF   THE   GEOLOGY   OF   Y.UA7AL. 


ii  1  o 


I  liclicvc  that  duriiin-  the  time  of  tlie  dril't  the  country 
stood  at  a  niucli  higher  level  than  at  present,  and  that  it 
was  covered  by  a  general  glaeier.  Over  the  coast  region, 
Avhere  decomposition  of  the  rocks  had  largely  obtained,  and 
where  the  surface  of  the  rock,  rendered  even  by  this  agent, 
had  been  covered  by  a  thick  layer  of  loose  material,  the 
glacier  reworked  this  loose  material,  and  when  it  disai>[)eared 
left  it  as  a  j)aste,  in  which  the  harder  materials,  such  as 
fragments  from  quartz  veins,  kc,  more  or  less  rounded,  were 
embedded.  The  layer  of  (piartz  pebbles  underlying  the  paste 
appears  to  have  consisted  of  coarser  fragments  l)orne  along 
by  the  bottom  of  the  glacier,  while  the  paste  seems  to  have 
been  more  or  less  distributed  througli  the  body  of  the 
glacier.  A  glacier  moving  over  the  gneiss  regions  of  Rio 
or  Espirito  Santo  to-day  wouUl  find  few  loose  roeks  to  trans- 
port, for  the  precipices  are  smooth  and  unliroken,  and  little 
falls  from  them,  so  that  one  could  not  expect  to  see  mo- 
raines of  coarse  materials  formed  by  the  glaciers  oi  that 
region,  and  if  the  ancient  glaciers  moved  over  a  country 
whose  surface  was  decomposed,  it  is  not  wonderful  thai  the 
drift  consists  of  paste  with  but  few  boulders.  On  the  con- 
trary, over  the  dry  zone  the  cliffs  are  ragged  and  broken, 
and  the  rock  surface  is  apt  to  be  l)roken  up,  and  we  should 
expect  to  find  over  such  a  region  drift  of  a  dillerent  char- 
acter from  that  which  obtains  over  the  moist  c(jast  region, 
and  resembling  more  closely  the  drift  of  North  America. 

In  the  drift-})astc  I  have  never  seen  the  slightest  trace  of 
organic  remains  of  auv  kind. 

Poat-Tcrliar//.  —  To  this  epoch  l)elong  the  cavern  depos- 


South  Amcrioii  have  corrosponded  with  tliu>ie  of  North  America  during  the 
same  iwriod.  In  North  America  the  oscilhitioii  of  level  was  greater  in  the  north 
than  in  the  south  ;  in  South  America  it  was  just  the  reverse. 


,^f' 


574 


GEOLOGY   AND   PHYSICAL   GKOGRAPHY. 


its  ill  Minas  Gcracs,  afTording  the  remains  oi'  Mastodon, 
Megatheriuni,  ttc,  and  the  lagoa  deposits  on  the  borders  uf 
the  Rio  do  Sao  Francisco  already  described. 

Recent. — To  recent  times  belong  the  sands  containing 
recent  sliells,  &c.,  exposed  by  the  late  uprise  of  the  coast, 
the  solidified  beaches,  rock  reefs  of  Pcrnambuco  and  else- 
where, the  coral  reefs,  the  peat  deposits,  and  the  alluvial 
beds  of  the  rivers  and  lakes. 


)i'  Mastodon, 
ic  borders  of 

is  containing: 

of  the  coast, 

nco  and  elsc- 

thc  alluvial 


APPENDIX 


ox  THE  BOTOCUDOS. 


Orifrin  of  the  Name  Botocndn.  —  Stature,  —  Pliysicnl  Form  and  Characteristics. 

—  Manner  of  Wearing,'  Hair.  —  Li])  and  Ear  Ornaments.  —  Professor  Wyniau's 
Description  of  Slcidl  of  Dotoeiido  from  Sao  Matheos.  —  Comparison  with 
other  described  I5otoci;do  Skulls.  — Color  of  Botoeudo. —  Manner  of  Taint- 
ing the  Body.  —  Dislike  to  heii^^'  clothed.  —  Bows  and  Arrows  descrihed.  — 
Gerber's  Emimeration  of  the  Tribes.  —  Von  Tschudi's  Dcseription  of  the 
T,.ii,es.  _  Hanehos  and  Huts.  — Tood.  —  Mode  of  procuring,'  Fire.  —  Manu- 
factures. —  Marriage  Customs. —The  IJotocudos  cruel  Husbands.- Fa- 
cility with  which  Wounds  heal.  —  Treatment  of  Children.  —  Religious  Ideas. 

—  Behef  in  the  Bad  Spirit,  Janchon.  — No  Belief  in  a  Supremo  God. — 
Burial  Customs.  —  War  Customs.  —  Cannibalism.  —  Dance.  —  Tiic  Boto- 
cudos  fast  disai)i)earing.  —  Botocudo  Character.  —  Geographical  Distribution 
of  the  Botocudos.  — Peculiarities  of  their  Language,  Prouuntiation,  Gram- 
matical Structure,  &c.  —  Botocudo  Vocabularies. 

No  Indiiin  tribe  of  Brazil  save  the  Tupi's  has  hoen  iiK^rc  cele- 
brated than  that  known  as  the  Aimores,  Ainibores,  or  Botocmhis, 
the  latter  being  the  name  by  which  it  is  known  in  Brazil,  as  well  as 
in  most  recent  works  on  the  country.  Tliey  call  themselves  Enge- 
rcichnmiri*  a  word  which  I  cannot  translate.  Mvikj,  in  Botocudo, 
means  to  .70,  and  the  termination,  which  is  more  likely  to  be  a 
separate  word  in  the  proper  name,  probably  has  the  same  meaning, 
but  I  have  not  been  able  to  find  a  definition  for  the  remainder  of 

*  I  give  Prince  Neuwied's  orthography.  Gerbcr.  also  a  German,  in  his 
Nocoes  Geo;jraJicos,  &c.,  p.  24,  spells  the  word  E,><l,<rd-nmnr,,  an<l  he  says  that 
Guido  Marliere  gives  it  Cmckmnn.  The  name  Botocudo  is  spelled  by  ditferent 
authors  in  all  possible  ways,  as,  for  instance,  Botokoudy,  Botoknde,  Bootoo- 
cudv,  &c. 

VOL.    I.  25  KK 


578 


ArPENDIX 


tlio  word.  Tlio  name  Bntociulo  was  without  d<tul)t  ni)])lic(l  to  tli} 
trilif  l)y  the  I'ortugucso,  bcciiiiso  of  the  custom  of  ])ierciuy'  th>' 
under  lij)  and  the  eurs,  and  insertinj,'  therein  romul,  tlut  piooos  (t' 
wood,  Hke  barrel-corks,  or  hofot/iies,  as  they  are  called  in  PortUL,ni('<(>. 
The  termination  ut(<>  in  I'ortu^'ueso  has  the  signilication  of/V/- 
nt'shetf  with,  as  in  the  words  cdhc/hif/o,  vclhido.  It  is  true  that 
lUnloipie  means  a  pellet  of  clay,  such  as  is  tlirown  from  a  sort  <{ 
bow  in  use  anion*,'  the  Indians  of  IJrazil,  and  that  the  same  woid 
means  also  a  kind  of  ston  or  earth,  employed  by  the  Indians 
to  ornament  the  body.     V  /e  thouglit  that  the  name  of  the 

tribe  was  derived  from  W\\t>  \\<»'(l,  l)ut  the  derivation  1  have  above 
given  is  without  doubt  the  correct  one.  The  Cordf/rnjia  Jiraslli- 
f«*  gives  the  same  origin  fur  the  word,  and  so  do  Neuwied  and 
Von  Tschudi. 

In  Esijirito  Santo  and  in  the  Mucurv  region  thcv  arc  com- 
monly  called  Bitf/res,  a  name  which  Von  Tschudi  derives  from  thu 
French.  In  Stlo  Matheos  and  on  the  Doce  I  lieard  them  called 
Tapuyos,  a  Tupi  word  applied  to  savages  generally. 

Judging  from  the  Botocudos  I  have  seen,  I  should,  with  V^n 
Tschudi  and  M.  Serrcs,  descrilie  the  race  as  of  middling  height. 
I  have  seen  manv  who  were  five  feet  ten  inches  in  height,  and 
T  remember  especially  one  powerful  fellow,  who  could  not  have 
measured  less  than  five  feet  eleven  inches.      D'Orbigny  makes  the 


*  "As  ontrns  nnrncs  ronvizinlins,  no  nionos  al^riimns  chnmam-llios  Aymboros, 
c  OS  coii(|ui.sta(lorcs  por  corniprito  Ay  mo  res ;  nuis  tic  nniitos  tempos  por  c;t 
quasi  niio  tern  outre  nomc  cntrc  os  Cliristn(js  seiifio  o  de  Botociidos  jielo  extra- 
va^ante  c  ridieulo  costume  dc  fiirarem  ns.orollias  e  os  licii.-os  c  dilatnreni-nos 
notavelniente  com  rodellas  de  jiiiu,  iiareecndo-llu's  que  licam  assim  inais  gcntis 
e  ftirozos." — Corofjmfin  BrnKilinr,  Tome  II.  p.  72. 

The  Dicciomirio  Geof/raphico  derives  tlie  name  from  Doto  and  cwlm,  "because 
the  Indians  of  this  nation  were  rollio.t  [short  and  thick],  and  went  with  tlic  hody 
covered  witli  a  coatinc;  of  jrnm-eopid,  with  which  tliey  were  accustomed  to  paint 
themselves,  to  jireserve  them  from  the  stiuirs  of  mosquitoes  and  other  insects." 
This  is  a  custom  which  at  jwcsent,  at  least,  does  not  seem  to  be  in  use  among 
the  Indians. 


ON  THK  DOTOCUDOS. 


■  •  ( 


.ipjilicul  to  tlio 

'I'  pierciii;:'  tli.' 

I,  Hilt  pieces  <.f 

ill  Purtiimu'si'. 

icjition  of ///,■■ 

t   is  true  that 

from  ii  sort  ^t' 

the  same  woiil 

•y  the   Iiidiiuis 

e  iiaiiio  of  the 

1  I  liavc  ah(jve 

'f/rrifid  Jh-asiH- 

•  Xouwied  ami 

they  arc  coin- 
rives  from  th'' 
(1  them  called 

iild,  Avith  Toll 
ddliiig  heii,dit. 
n  heij^ht,  and 
nild  not  have 
;iiy  makes  the 

1-1  lies  Aymboro'j, 
s  toni|ios  por  ca 
lidos  ]iuIo  ixtni- 
3  c  (lilatiircni-nos 
?siin  inais  gcntis 

codrn,  "  because 
nt  with  the  hoily 
istoniod  to  piiiiit 
other  insects." 
•e  in  use  amonsr 


mean  hciixht  of  the  male  Uotocudo  l.fll!*)  metres,  and  liis  extreme 
height  only  l.OOO  metre,  hut  this  must  lie  a  typoj^'raiihieal  error.* 
Aeeordiiifjf  to  M.  I'orte,  the  height  of  the  male  iiolocudo  varies 
from  I.S.")  metrcH  to  l.lS  metres,  and  that  of  the  U(jiuen  from 
1.3")  metres  to  l.U»  metre. f 

The  limbs  and  body  of  the  I'.otoeiido,  though  e.xeeedingly  strong, 
look  soft  and  effeminate,  and  the  mnscle.s  have  not  the  same  prom- 
inence and  knottiness  seen  in  the  nuisculaidy  developed  white  or 
negro. 

They  arc  generally  broad-slK^ddered  and  large-bodied,  Imt  their 
arms,  and  especially  their  legs,  are  apt  to  l)e  tiiiii.  tliou^li  very 
ninscnlar,  and  tiie  latter  strike  one  as  lieing  disprojiortionately 
small,  when  compared  witli  those  of  the  negro  and  wiiite  man,  tiio 
calf  being  ijut  slightly  develo|)ed.  Von  Tsehiidi  e.ills  attention  to 
this,  and  Agassiz  speaks  of  tiie  small  size  of  the  legs  of  the  Indian 
in  comparison  with  his  sipiare,  heavily  built  trunk,  but  I  have  seen 
Botocudos  as  well  ])roportioned  as  the  whites. {     In  all  the  males 

*  L'llomme  Amcrimiu,  Tome  I.  p.  102. 

t  Coiiifites  licndus.  Tome  XXI.  \\.  ."). 

t  Specimens  of  Naknenuks  were  earried  to  France  liy  M.  Porte  and  were 
examined  In-  M.  Serres,  who  puhlislud  in  tlic  (.'iDnjitcs  f!<i,ihis  (Tome  XXI. 
p.  7)  a  descri])tion  of  them.  I  am  not  aware  that  any  other  scientist  has  made 
a  more  di'taiied  stndy  of  the  notoeudo  than  he,  and  I  (piote  a  i)arai:raiih  or  two 
from  him  rehitin;,'  more  especially  to  tlie  configuration  of  tlic  trunk.  M.  Serres 
says  :  — 

"  La  poitrine  etait  hien  eonformee  ehez  riiomnie  ;  mi  immi  aplatie  .-urlede- 
vant  elle  jjaraissait  d'uneseide  venue  ct  ne  i)resentait  ]»as  Fesjieee  de  v()u-;>ure(nu! 
Ton  remari[ue  au  niveau  d«  grand  pectoral  ehez  les  homines  de  la  r:ice  c.iiicasicpie 
dcvelopiies  au  memo  de;rre  ;  voussure  (prot^Vaieut  d'nne  muniere  manpu-e  Ics 
Ameiieains  loways,  comme  on  Ic  remaniue  chc/,  Ics  honimes  les  plus  torts  de 
la  race  caueasi(|ue.  Kn  revanche  elle  paraissait  ])lus  allon:;i'e  clie/,  le  I'.oto(  ude 
ct  plus  lariiC  cpie  I'ordinaire  a  la  re';;ion  infe'rieure.  La  jjoitrinc  de  la  t'emine 
etait,  en  arriere  plus  anpiee,  epic  eelle  de  I'homme;  en  avaut,  elle  s'inclinait  en 
has  d'unc  nianiere  .si  maniue'e,  (pi'il  m'a  fallu  l;-  -'esiirer  ]i!iisieurs  fois  pour 
m'assurer(pi'il  :i'y  avait  rien  d'exaire're  dans  le  ]iorrr.iit  (pi 'en  a  fait  uotre  jieintrc 
si  distiuirue  du  Museum  M.  Verner.  De  eette  iuelinaison  de  la  jiciitrine  nsul- 
tait  rabaissement  du  seiu,  abaissement  <iui  rajipelait  celui  des  fenimes  e'thio- 


nso 


APPENDIX. 


tho  pelvis  seoincd  oxtnionliiiiirily  uiirrow,  iind  tUv  liiudcr  pai-ts  very 
siiiall.  'I'lic  liiuuls  lire  well  lunnod  Imt  snmll.  'I'lioso  of  the  woiiaii 
are  particuliirly  so,  as  M.  Serres  has  rouuirkuil.  Tlie  feet  are 
smaller  than  in  the  Caucasian  race. 

The  physiognomy  tjf  the  I'.otocudos  varies  so  extraordinarily  that 
it  is  exceedingly  ditHcidt  to  descrihc  its  peculiarities.  Of  a  do/cn 
iir  more  I5otocudos  in  the  fazenda  of  Capitiio  Grande  no  two  looked 
alike.*  There  were  two  young  men  who  were  partially  civilized, 
and  spoke  Portuguese,  and  I  should  never  have  taken  tliem  for 
anything  else  than  very  light-ctdored  undattoes.  Tlioy  all  have 
low  forehea<ls,  ius  Von  Tschudi,  Xeuwied,  and  M.  Serres  have  re- 
mai'ked.  Their  eyes  are  hlaek,  usually  small  and  full  of  life. 
Neuwicd  says  that  l)lue  eyes  sometimes  occur.  .M.  Serres  says 
that  those  of  the  women  he  saw  were  more  open  than  those  of  the 
men.  Tho  exterior  angle  of  the  eye  is  sometimes  a  little  ol)li([ue. 
As  for  the  nose,  it  is  usually  rather  short :  and  in  the  four  protiles 
of  Botocudos  at  Sao  Matheos  la  my  note-book  it  is  represcnteil  as 
having  a  concave  outline,  the  extremity  being  large,  while  the  al;e 
are  rather  wide ;  but  I  have  seen  examples  of  narrow  and  arched 
noses.     I  give  two  of  these  jjrofilcs  in  the  following  wood-cut. t 

piqnps,  ct  qui  ponrrnit  dovpnir  un  ^;^r^^t^ro  do  prnndc  importanco  s'il  ii'y  nvnit 
ricn  d'individuel  duns  cintc  disposition. 

"  Comnio  c'oliii  do  I'lioninio,  le  thorax  de  la  fommc  otait  tri's-('lar!.n  inforicnre- 
nicnt ;  n-t  ('largissLMneiU  np  parait  avoir  sa  cansc  dans  I'ahaissctni'nt  de  la  volume 
du  foil',  f|ui  je  recnnnus  jiar  la  ])eiTns<i(>n  dans  les  limitcs  infcVictnrs  (pio  n'attcint 
jamais  cct  orjiane  dans  son  ctat  natnrcl  clu'z  la  f'cmino  cancasi(|no. 

"  Avec  cet  ahaissoincnt  ilu  foie  coincidait  un  nbaissenient  de  rom>)ilit',  ct  H 
cclui-ci  n'i)ondait  un  ahaisscnicut  dii  puhis,  qneje  rcconnns  avee  jieiiie,  ii  cause 
de  la  saiUie  praisseuse  du  niont  de  Venus.  L'al)aissenient  dc  roinliilie  faisait 
saillir  l'al)doinon  en  has  ct  snrlcs  cote's  ct  cchii  dn  pnliis  inelinait  en  has  et  en 
arrierc  Ic  has^in  ;  de  la  resnltait  amplenr  de  la  rcfrion  fcssierc,  deja  moins  de- 
vclopee  que  chez  la  fern  me  caueasicjue." 

*  Nothinir  can  be  more  false  than  the  oft-qnotcd  and  sweeping  assertion  of 
Ulloa  :  "  A'isto  un  Indio  de  qual(|ucr  region,  se  pnede  decir  (juc  sc  han  visto 
todos  on  qnanto  el  color  y  Contestnra."  —  Xntirias  Anipriranm,  p.  2.52. 

t  I  do  not  offer  these  <krri'he<  as  accurate  jiortraits.     They  were  drawn  from 


(•N    lilt;    liUlUCLDuS. 


oSL 


iler  parts  voi-y 
of  the  wuuaii 
Tlio    foot  iiiv 

rdiimrily  tliat 
or  a  dozen 
no  two  li>okfil 
illv  civilized, 
\vn  them  for 
'hey  uU  liiivo 
nvs  hiivo  re- 
full  of  life. 
.  Serres  says 
I  tiioso  of  the 
ittle  ol)li(jue. 
!  four  prolile.s 
J presented  as 
ivhile  the  alie 
r  and  arched 
ood-cut.f 

ce  s'il  n'y  nvnit 

Inrn;!  info'rictire- 
iit  (le  la  volimu; 
c's  (|iio  n'iittcint 

rombilic,  ct  H 

peine,  11  cause 

'oiiiliilic  faisiiit 

lit  en  hi\^  ct  oil 

dcjii  moins  dc- 

ng  assertion  of 
e  sc  lian  visto 
5.  252. 
re  drawn  from 


''^'0^' 


)r*  ■■m^m 

1^  &i 


\ 


noTOCCDO    MAN    ANK    WOMAN. 

M.  Sorrcs  describes  the  nose  of  the  men  as  straij:lit,  and  those 
of  the  women  as  slightly  arched  at  the  hase.  In  Ixitli,  aecordin;.,' 
to  the  same  author,  the  alte  are  large,  Imt  more  so  in  the  men 
than  the  women. 

Neuwied's  plates  of  the  Botocudos  arc  well  drawn,  hut  they 
give  one  absolutely  no  idea  of  the  race.  The  chief  Krengniitnuick, 
barring  his  abominable  head,  has  the  figure  of  a  Caucasian,  while 
his  wife  might  have  [msed  for  a  Venus.  Mcuwied's  figures  were  evi- 
dently drawn  from  Caucasian  models.  The  liotocudos  as  a  race  arc 
very  ugly,  but  some  of  the  young  girls  might,  by  a  very  lil)eral 
construction  of  the  word,  \)e  called  pretty.  As  a  general  rule,  tho 
women  have  the  abdomen  very  large,  the  l)rcasts  flabl)y  and  pen- 
ilent,  and  not  nnfrequcntly  they  are  bow-legg>'d.  The  children,  like 
all  Hrazilian  children,  are  a])t  to  fall  into  the  hal)it  of  dirt-eating, 
and  are  very  often  stunted,  swollen,  and  sickly,* 

Tiatiirc,  and  the  outlines  are  not  far  from  correct.  I  have  introduced  them  also 
for  the  purpose  of  showing  the  appearance  of  the  pierced  car  and  lii».  Tho 
woman  carries  a  l>a'^  on  her  hack. 

*  I  saw  in  Brazil  a  larij;e  nwuiher  of  children  and  adults  who  were  addicted 
to  this  habit.  In  most  eases  the  clay  is  not  eaten  because  of  want  of  nourish- 
ment, but  from  a  inorliid  v]  n-tite.      Ami)n_'  -"u-.e  nations,  however,  as  the 


r,s2 


ai"im:ni)IX. 


Hi 


The  olicok-liniu's  arc  ^'ciicrally  (|i!ite  Iiigli,  iIkmi^Ii  not  so  nnich 
sn  us  anion;,'  tiic  Tupi  (k'sccndiints.     Tlicy  iip[)e;u'  i.'s[tcci!illy  pvomi 
ni'iit  in  the  einaciatcd  old  women,  who  are  wretchedly  nuly  hi  a|i 
pcarance.     The  face  is  somewhat  flattened.     The  mouth  is  always 
very  lai'uc,  and  the  li[is  ai'c  (luite  thick. 

The  hair  is  black,  coarse,  and  ?(trai,<:ht.  The  heard  is  of  the  same 
character,  and  very  sparse.*  Tliey  ^i'enerally  pull  it  out  ;  hut  I 
have  frcnpiently  seen  men  with  a  very  sparse  l)eard.t  as,  for  iu- 
stance,  the  one  whose  profile  1  have  ^iven.  'I'hoy  sometimes  cut 
vi\'  or  pull  out  the  eyebrows,  and  the  women  at  least  sutler  hair  td 
pMw  on  no  part  of  the  liody  e.\ce))t  the  head.  The  hair  is  alway> 
worn  short,  and  falls  over  the  forehead.  Sometimes  it  is  shaviil 
away  for  two  or  three  tinu'cr-hreadths  all  r(»uiid,  with  a  I'azor  made 
from  hanilioo  ;  hut  this  custom  is  not  general,  and  none  of  those  I 
saw  at  Sao  Matheos  were  shaven  in  this  wav.  Tiie  wdiuen  usuallv 
■we.u'  in  tiieir  perforated  lips  and  ears  round  disks  of  W(k  I  (oo- 
tni/Hc.'i),  like  the  cork  to  a  lame,  wide-mouthed  hottle.  Of  the  many 
])otocudos  T  have  seen  on  the  Hio  Doce,  at  Sao  Matheos,  at  ("olo- 
nia  Leoi>oldina,  I'mcu,  and  I'hiladelphia,  only  the  adult  women 
had  hoth  ears  and  lips  pierced.  The  old  men  invarial)ly  had  the 
eai's  p(!rforate(l,  hut  1  do  not  rcmemher  ever  liavinir  seen  a  male 
witli  a  hole  in  his  lip,  and  I  never  saw  a  child  with  either  ear  ci' lip 
perforated,  which  leads  me  to  suppose  that  the  custom  is  sjfoinLr 
out  of  use.  The  picrcinif  of  the  lip  and  car  is  jierformed,  accordiim 
to  Xeuwie(l.  when  the  child  is  seven  or  eiyiit  vears  of  atre.  Xeu- 
wied  says  that  it  is  done  with  a  sharp  ])ioce  of  wood  ;  other  writers 


Oti'iiiiMcs  on  llio  Orinoco,  lar^o  (|iiantitiis  of  cImv  are  .ten  in  tini(>s  of  prcat 
scarcity  of  food.  Ilniiilioldt  has  investigated  tlii-  suliject,  m  Iiis  usual  exhaust- 
ive manner.     See  liis  Travels,  Holm's  Kdition,  Vu].  II.  p.  4!l."). 

*  M.  Serres  rays  (lor.  ell.)  :  "  Leiirs  clieveux  e'taicnt  noirs,  o])ais,  court.s,  lisscs 
ct  limite's  en  deuM-cercle  sur  le  front.  Ceiix  de  i'hoinme  etniciU  ])lus  nules  (|iie 
cenx  de  la  femine." 

t  Dr.  Karl  Anpiist  Tt'iUiier  descrihes  the  T?otocndos  of  the  rdonic  Leo- 
y.^ldina  as  wearin;;  a  sparse  beard.  [Dk  Coloitie Leojioklinu  in  Dntsilieii,Gf)tUu- 
gen,  18C0,  p.  G.").) 


I 


ON'   THE   nOTOCUDOS. 


r»8"-) 


;  (it her  writers 


£^ 


say  that  tlie  sharp  spine  of  tlio  Airi  pahn  is  used.  The  oponiii-s 
once  made,  small  pieces  of  wnod  are  inserted  to  distend  tht  in. 
afterwards  lar;jrer  ami  lai'L'er  ones  Ikmiii:  nsed  nntil  the  ojieninLT  nf 
the  ear  may  he,  aceordinir  to  Xenwied,  even  four  inches  in  diam- 
eter!  1  have  nevor  seen  a  lii)-phig  in  use  more  than  two  inches 
in  diameter.  The  car-plu^  is  much  larger.  The  lip  or  ear  ci-iia 
..lent  consists  of  a  thin  section  of  the  stem  of  a  l!ai'riLrndo  tri'C 
(f'/inrisi'it),  which  furnishes  a  wood  (juite  as  light,  if  not  lighter 
than  ciii-k,  and  of  a  white  color.*  Th"  M])-plug  is  usually  almut 
three  fourths  of  an  inch  thick.  The  li[»  surnnnids  it  like  a  tiiiik 
red  cord  of  Hesh.  It  is  nsually  W(jrn  the  most  of  the  time,  hut 
may  he,  and  is  fVom  time  to  time,  removed.  Tiie  li[)  tlicn  iiaii;^s 
of  eoiu'se  against  the  chin,  a  hideous  loop  o'  flesh,  comparahle 
more  to  a  great  worm  tiian  anything  else,  displaying  the  teetii 
with  a  horrilile  grin.  The  pressure  of  the  plug  against  the  lower 
incisors  in  front  pushes  them  out  of  place,  and  even  causes  thnu 


to  fall  out,  so  that 


in  old  woman  with   the  lip  ornament   alwav 


wants  the  lower  front  teeth,  and  not  iiifre(iuently  the  npp''r. 
]S'euwied  describes  and  fimip's  the  jaw  of  a  I'otocudo  in  whitii 
the  alveolie  of  the  front  incisors  had  completely  disappeared,  leav- 


ini,'  tl 


le  hone  as  sharp  as  a  knifi 


Xenwied,  in  the  .Vtlas  to  his  Travels,  on  Plate  1  7,  re|)i'esents  four 
heads, —  three  profiles  and  one  full  face.  These  figures  are  really  ^f 
very  little  value,  as  they  have  evidently  not  l)een  drawn  from  na- 
ture. In  Figure  1.  the  ear-plugs  are  represented  twice  as  tliick  as 
they  ought  to  he,  and  the  under  lip  is  represented  as  touehiiij-  the 
upper,  which  is  ahsohitely  i:,ipossihle.  The  iiosition  of  the  phiir 
is  hetter  repres\...ted  in  Fi'j:ure  IV.  It  is  usually  carried,  in  tiie  rr- 
pf>se  of  the  features,  nearly  horizontally.  In  a  smile  it  is  inclined 
upwards,  and  often  touches  the  nose.  In  eating  it  may  lie  taken  I'Ut, 
hut  none  of  the  IJotocudo  wi'iuen  1  have  seen  eatimi'  removed  it. 
re  comical  sii:ht  than  an  old  woman  suckiiiLC  a  stick  of  su.rar- 


mo 


*  Fl(nf'licr  "iny-  tliat  tlicsc  jiIul's  mo  inailf  tVom  tlie  wood  of  the  nluc,  wlii.'h 
i<  iiicorrncf.  F.whaiik  sjieak^  of  tlu'  lilu;,^s  as  made  of  yxVo  wood,  doiilitk'ss  uioau- 
ing  the  same  tliiii''. 


;s4 


APPEXDIX. 


cane  can  scarcely  lie  imagined.  In  (piaiTels  the  perforated  oars  aii'l 
lip  are  apt  ti>  sulFor,  ami  it  is  no  unconunon  thing  to  see  thcia 
lirnken.  In  tiii.^  case  tlie  ornament  is  not  necessarily  discarded 
The  two  ends  are  tlien  tied  together  ,,ith  a  bit  of  hark,  or  sduic- 
thing  of  the  sort,  and  the  plug  is  replaced.  At  Iriuu  1  saw  a  I'atlh  r 
yoinig  woman  whose  lip  had  been  torn  and  tied  np.  I'sually  tlic 
ear-])hig  is  not  worn,  and  the  loo|»  of  Hesli  is  left  dangling,  some- 
tinges  reaching  to  the  shoulder.  When  the  plug  is  removed  tlie 
i'|)ening generally  appears  very  irregular,  as  in  the  man  whose  jiro- 
tile  1  have  given.  In  travelling  through  the  forest  this  looj)  wouM 
lie  likely  to  be  caught  against  limits  of  trees  and  be  torn,  so  it  is 
very  often  turned  uj)  and  laid  ovur  the  ear,  which  shortens  tli(; 
organ  in  the  first  place,  and  jtroduces  a  horrildc  deformity.  I 
observed  that  two  old  women  at  Sao  Mathco.s  wore  the  ear-flap  in 
this  way  even  in  camp. 

Neuwicd*  cites  a  number  of  examjiles  of  nations  that  pierce  the 
ear  and  lip.  The  Aguitecpicdichagas,  Lengoas,  and  Charruas  of 
Paraguay  wn'e  large  blocks  of  wood  in  their  ears  and  lips,  but  the 
lip-plug  was  smaller  than  that  t>f  the  Uotocudo.  The  (Jamellas  of 
Maranhao  used  immense  wooden  lip-plugs,  and  Major  O.  C  Jaiiu.s 
informs  me  that  the  I'ugres  of  Sao  Paulo  have  the  same  custom, 
though  it  is,  however,  now  gfiing  out  of  use  as  the  Indians  becoine 
civilized.  Major  James  says  that  the  civilized  Indians  close  up  the 
openiuij:  in  the  lip  with  wax.  The  Muras,  on  the  Amazonas,  useij 
to  pierce  the  lip,  but  the  custom  is  now  abandoned.  The  Tupi- 
nainbas  wore  ornaments  of  nephrite  stone  in  the?  li]).  Mr.  (Iforgo 
(Jillis  has  called  my  attention  to  the  fact,  that  the  Koloshians 
of  Alaska  pierce  the  liji  and  wear  a  J)lug.  It  is  very  interesting  t<' 
know  that  this  cistom  obtains  among  savages  so  widely  separatiil. 
\N'ood  describes  a  nation  in  Africa  that  pierces  and  distends  tlir 
u])per  lij)  by  inserting  a  ring,  a  custom  more  hideous  than  that  ot 
the  Botocu(K). 

I  give  figures  of  the  skull  of  a  male  Botocudo  T  obtained  f  t 


*  Jitise  luwh  Draailliii,  IJaiul  II.  scitc  7. 


ox   THE   nOTOCL'DOS. 


58.J 


'ated  onrs  mii'I 
'^  to  see  tiii'iii 
rily  (liscanltMl 
l)iirk,  or  SI  line- 

T  8ii\v  a  ratlicr 
I'simlly  fhi' 
anu'liiig",  some 
i  rcnuiVL'il  till' 
iHii  wliose  jiro- 
liis  l("i])  WDiiM 
e  torn,  so  it  is 
sliortciis  till.' 

dcforiiiity.      1 
the  t'ur-tlap  in 

hat  picrt'o  tlio 

(I  Charruas  of 

(1  lijis,  Init  the 

le  ClaiiR'llas  nf 

.r  O.  ('.  Jaim'< 

same  custi'iii. 

idiaiis  heniiiir 

IS  close  up  tlir 

mazouas,  usli] 

1.     The  TiM'i- 

]\Ir.  (Jeoi'L;!' 

le   Koloshiiiiis 

iiiterestiiiLr  t'' 

ely  separatiil. 

distends  thf 

s  than  that  ot 

T  obtained  fur 


i 


i 


tlie  Museum  of  Comparative  Zoiilogy  at  Sao  Miitheos.  'I'ln- 
man's  name  was  KujiririVck,  or  the  ( >nea.  lie  had  died  of  disease, 
and  had  been  liuried  in  the  vieiniiy  of  the  fazenda,  ImU  tlie  I'aiiis 
had  uncovered  the  hodv,  which  his  relatives  had  left  to  rot  in  a 
swamp.  A  half-civilized  Indian  led  me  to  the  sjjot,  and  himself  pro- 
ctu'ed  for  me  the  skull,  which  we 
carried  to  the  house  and  |ilaced 
on  a  table.  When  the  Indians 
came  in  to  supper  the  Hotocudos 
feathered  around  and  made  spoi-t 
of  it,  thrusting,'  their  fin^'ers  into 
the  eyeless  sockets  and  lauirhiuL: 
at  it,  thou^rh  at  the  same  time 
they  knew  that  it  belonired  to 
one  of  their  near  relations.     This 

skull    I    iilaccd  in   the  hands  of    \^,_^'*'^  ^i^ Ji  8^  /  ^9 
I'rofessor     JellVies     Wynian,     of 
(."ambridj,'e,    Massachusetts,    who 

has  kindly  furnished  me  with  the  followin;^;  interestini,'  and  val- 
uable notes  upon  it.  "  From  tiie  references  in  the  Tli(stiiiiii.< 
Cru/it'ontm  of  Dr.  ,F.  I'arnard  Davis,  paue  '2']'),  it  apprars  that  oiilv 

a  few  crania  of  r»utociiilus 
have  been  dcscrilied,  —  not 
mon>  tlian  five  in  all  ;  and 
of  these  but  one  lias  lieen 
lueasinvd.  and  this  very  im- 
perfectly by  Dr.  Davis,  as 
he  had  oidy  a  cast,  the  oriLri- 
n,d  lieiiiLT  in  StiH'khohn. 
The  specimen  from  S'lo  Ma- 
tiieos  is,  therefore,  a  valua- 
ble addition  to  the  previous 
collections.  It  is  that  of  a  man  somewhat  advanced  in  litV',  tin' 
teeth   pine   a;id    the    alveoli    lar;^elv  absorbed  ;    the    sa^'ittal    and 


•>:.  * 


580 


APPENDIX. 


lamlidoidiil  sutuvos  are  closed  in  those  portions  where  the  two 
johi.  The  side  widls  of  the  head  arc  vertical  and  the  top  some- 
what root'-.shaped.  The  foramen  magnum  has  about  the  same  po- 
sition as  in  the  American  aborigines  generally,  its  index  being  40. <i, 
while  in  these  it  is   lO.'J.     The  breadth  across  the  malar  bones, 

together  with  the  njof- 
shaped  top,  give  to  the 
whole,  when  viewed  in 
front,  a  somewhat  py- 
ramidal form  conijiared 
with  that  of  the  otlicr 
barbarous  tribes  gener- 
ally. The  size  of  the 
cranium  is  large,  its 
length  being  51U  milli- 
metres, and  its  capacity 
l.l''i-"i  centimetres,  or  88  cubic  inches;  while  theirs  is  only  l,37t) 
centimetres,  or  84  cubic  inches.  The  length  of  the  skull  being 
taken  as  100,  its  breadth  is  72.8,  and  it  is,  therefore,  decidedly 
elongated  or  dolichocephalic.  The  whole  is  massive  and  heavy, 
antl,  at  the  hinder  part  especially,  quite  thick. 

"Though  somewhat  smaller,  this  skull,  as  will  be  seen  by  the 
following  tixble,  agrees  very  nearly  in  its  proportions  with  that  de- 
scribed by  Dr.  Davis  in  his  ThcsaHvm. 


rircuiii- 
tV'ri'iico. 

Ill  III. 

Length. 

Brcailth. 

Height. 

Length. 

ni.iii. 

111. 111. 

III. III. 

in.ni. 

Sao  Matlu'os     .... 

ulO 

187 

136 

138 

380 

Davis's  collection  .     .     . 

525 

190.5 

139.5 

144.5 

401 

Blumcnbacirs  collection 

•     • 

165 

139.5 

•     • 

"  When  compared  with  Blumenbach's  specimen  there  is  a  wide 
ditference.     Tiic  onr  figtu'cd  by  him  in  his   Decades  Vvaniorum, 


ON  Tin-:  noTOCL'DOS. 


587 


lore  the  two 
ic  top  sonio- 
;ho  .Siune  po- 
X  being  40.(i, 
iiiiiltir  bones, 
th  tlio   ro(»f- 

give  to  the 
11  viewed  in 
mewluit  py- 
m  conij)iireJ 
if  the  uther 
ribes  gener- 
sizc  of  the 
1  large,  its 
;  510    milli- 

its  capacity 
s  only  l,."j7ii 

skull  being 
'c,  (leeitledly 

and  heavy, 

seen  by  tlie 
vith  that  de- 


ght.       Length. 


.in. 

S 

4.5 

9.5 


n\.m. 
380 

401 


re  is  a  wide 
Crtdilorum, 


riato  LVTII.,  was  bronglit  from  15razil  by  the  Prince  Wied  Neii- 
wied,  and  is  also  tigm'ud  in  Morton's  Cnntiti  Anicricdiia,  Plate  XV. 
In  the  tirst  ease  the  view  is  obli(|ue,  and  in  the  second  exactly  in 
profile,  this  view  being  taken  from  a  drawing  furnished  by  the 
Prince. 

"  In  its  thickness  and  niassiveness  it  agrees  with  that  of  Sao 
Matheos.  As  far  as  one  can  judge  from  the  ligures  of  Plumcn- 
bach  and  .Morton,  the  one  descril)ed  by  them  is  short  and  liigh, 
and,  according  to  lilumenl)ach's  de.scrii)tion,  remarkable  for  its  I)ru- 
tality,  or,  to  use  his  own  words,  '  If  you  disregard  for  a  moment 
the  under  jiiw  and  interval  of  tlie  orbits,  the  pi'ojcctinir  nasal 
sjjine,  and  the  other  particulars  peculiar  to  man,  the  general  as[)ect 
approaches  nearer  to  that  of  the  orang-outang  than  tliat  of  any 
other  skull  from  a  barljarous  nation  to  be  seen  in  my  collection.' 
His  figiu'c  seems  to  justify  his  words,  and  rejjresents  the  jaws  moi'e 
projecting  and  simious  than  does  that  of  Dr.  Morton. 

"Of  the  original  shape  of  the  jaw  of  the  cranium  of  ."^ao  Ma- 
theos it  is  now  hardly  j)0ssiblc  to  foi-m  a  c(jrrect  idea,  since  it  is 
somewhat  broken.  The  teeth  are  gone,  and  the  alveoli  partly 
absorbed.  There  is  nothing,  however,  in  what  remains  to  in- 
dicate great  size  or  forward  projection.  The  whole  cranir.m  will 
compare  fiivorably  with  the  crania  of  other  liarbarous  trilu?s  of 
America.  Certainly  there  is  nothing  indicative  of  extreme  degra- 
dation." 

In  a  letter  accompanying  tiic  above  notes  Professor  Wyman 
says  :  "  It  is  (piite  curious  to  see  what  an  entirely  different  look- 
ing thing  the  skull  of  Sao  Matheos  is  when  compared  with  the 
famous  one  descrilied  and  tigured  by  lUumenlnuh,  and  wliieh  has 
hitherto  given  the  key-note  to  all  that  has  been  written  about  the 
skulls  of  P>otocudos.  If  there  were  only  your  Sao  Matheos  skidl 
and  his,  and  they  had  fallen  into  difl'ereut  hands  for  description, 
one  would  have  given  us  the  connecting  link  of  man  with  the  apes, 
while  the  other  would  have  given  us  a  highly  respectable  American 


savage. 


;ss 


APPEN'DTX. 


The  skull  described  by  niiimc'ibiich*  is  iij^'uivd  as  a  vif^'iietto  t. 
tlio  second  \  :)luino  of  I'rince  Max.  zu  Xcuwicd's  lieine  uach  Jirn- 
si/ien.  It  sccnih  to  mo  to  be  most  extraordinarily  short  and  small 
compared  with  the  size  of  the  jaw.  Among  all  the  Botocndus  I 
saw  in  IJrazil  there  was  not  one  with  so  ape-like  a  head  and  siicli 
projecting  jaws. 

Von  Tschiulit  figures  the  skull  of  a  Botocudo  chief,  named  Pom- 
kum,  from  the  Mucmy.  Ho  gives  a  front  but  somewhat  obli(j\ie 
view  of  it,  which,  however,  shows  that  it  agrees  with  my  s|)Ocinu.'ii 
in  the  perpendicularity  of  the  sides  and  in  the  roof-shaju'd  top. 

The  col(jr  t)f  the  I'otocudo  is  a  light  yellowish-brown,  like  that 
of  a  very  white  mulatto,  or  perhaps  more  correctly  speaking  that 
of  a  white  man  somewhat  tannc^l,  not  burned,  by  exposure  tn 
the  Sim.  Xeuwied  says  that  they  are  of  a  reddish-brown  coldr. 
Von  Tschudi  a  dirty,  nearly  bronzed  Ijrown.f  The  color  varies 
nmch.  1  should  say  that  tiie  bodies  of  the  Botocudos  I  have  seen 
were,  on  the  average,  much  lighter  in  color  than  those  of  the  white 
canoe-men  of  the  Jequitinhoidia,  accustomed  to  work  almost  naked 
in  the  sun,  and  that  as  a  race  they  were  much  whiter  than  the 
Tupi  descendants  along  the  coast,  who  ditfer  most  markedly  in 
their  whole  physiognomy,  stature,  &c.,  from  their  uncivilized 
neighbors. 

D'Orbigny  has  called  attention  to  the  yellowish  skin-tint  of  the 
Brasilio-Guarani  races.     It  is  interesting  to  observe  that  the  Botu- 


*  Prince  Neuwiod  quotes  at  the  end  of  the  chapter  on  Botocudos,  Vol.  11. 
p.  7(1,  a  fow  words  from  Hlinneid)iuh  rolativo  to  this  skull,  Rlunicnliatdi  says: 
"  Dor  Botocuile  woniit  K\v.  mt'iTie  cthnolo<iisc'he  Saniuilunfr  iHTi'icluTt  hahi'ii, 
und  dcr  elicn  so  schr  zu  den  mcrkwiirdi^ston  als  zu  den  selti'usten  Stiickcu  di i- 
sclben  geln'irt,  iiliiult  in  si-iner  Totalforiu  (dochohnedcn  Untorkiefer)  dcni  vom 
( )uran;iutang  nielir,  als  eiueni  dor  acht  Nc<rerst'liUdel  die  ich  hositze,  wcnn  ix\M\ 
Ik'v  niaiu'Iien  vou  dicsen  die  ()i)erki('for  s-tiirkcr  als  :iu  dem  brasiliuniscli. n 
Canuiliak'n  iirimiiniron." 

t  lu'iscti  (luirli  Sml-Amm'kd,  Z\v  '..r  Baml.  328"  Seite. 

I  M.  Scrrcs  di'scrilivs  the  color  of  the  Botocudos  he  examined  as  "  bruu  ron- 
frcfitri.',  uii  ]iru  plus  ro<(v  i|!U'  ccllc  dcs  loways." 


ON   THE   r.OTOCUDOS. 


r.so 


s  a  vi<,niotto  t'l 

iV/.vf  Hdch    Ilra- 

liort  and  siuiill 
c  JJutocudo.s  I 
head  and  such 

f,  named  Porn- 
ewhat  ohh(|ue 
1  my  specimen 
ihaped  top. 
awn,  hke  that 
speaking  that 
y  ex])usuro  to 
i-l)i'(nvn  culiir, 
e  color  vai'ies 
JS  I  have  seen 
e  of  the  white 
ahncst  nakcil 
iter  than  tlie 
markedly  in 
ir    uncivihzeil 

:in-tint  of  the 
hat  the  IJotu- 

nciulos,  Vol.  II. 
iiinunliiU'li  .'iiws  : 
iTciclicrt  IialH'M, 
en  Stiicki'ii  lUt- 
kiefer)  deni  votii 
tzc,  woiin  ;.;lilili 
brasiliuiiisflu  u 

I  a.s  "  Itriui  rou- 


ciidns,  a  nation  fitted  for  a  life  in  damp  shady  forests,  and  unahlo 
to  bear  the  stni  in  the  open  campos  of  the  interior,  are  of  a  very 
pale  color,  and  very  much  less  dark  than  those  races  which  live  on 
the  i)lains  or  on  open  grounds.  Southey*  thought  that  their  pale 
color  was  the  result  of  their  life  in  the  sliady  forests,  and  D'Or- 
bignyt  held  the  same  belief,  stating  in  coiitii'mation  of  it  that, 
while  the  (Juaranfs  of  the  plains  of  (,'orrientes  and  the  (iran  Chaco 
are  dark  colored,  the  (iuarayos  and  Sirionos,  though  belonging  to 
the  same  race  of  the  Guaranis,  who  for  about  four  hundred  years 
have  lived  in  the  damp  and  shady  forests,  are  very  light  c<.tloi'ed. 

(Jumilla  says,  that  the  people  living  in  the  forests  of  the  Orinoco 
are  almost  white,  while  those  of  the  plains  are  dark,  t  I  am  tcjld 
that  the  iJotocudos  ai'e  capable  of  bli'shing.  1  never  detected  any- 
thing of  the  sort,  and  I  doubt  whether  it  is  possible  in  any  except 
those  considerably  civilized. 

Among  the  Indians  I  saw  on  the  coast  only  one  yonng  woman 
had  her  cheeks  painted,  though  the  custom  seems,  at  least  for- 
merly, to  have  been  (piite  common  with  the  Indians  in  the  forest 
not  only  to  paint  th<"'  *.  ':e  but  the  body.  This  young  woman  had 
a  bright  reil  spou  .  '  "heck,  jiainted  with  a  tint  prcjiared  from 
the  seeds  of  the  Ur>  .a  {liixa  Onll'iva  Liiui.).  a  fruit  common  in 
the  Brazilian  forests,  and  from  which  anatto,  or  clieese-colovinir,  is 
prepared.  This  same  color  is  also  used  l)v  other  tril)es  in  Brazil 
to  paint  their  bodies.  A  deep  blue-black  of  greater  (l\n'al)ility 
is  extracted  from  the  fruit  of  the  (j!eni]i;ipo  (G'oiijxi),  and  is  also 
nsed  for  ornamenting  the  body.  §  The  style  of  ornamentation  ap- 
])ears  not  to  be  fixed,  but  to  vary  according  to  the  cajjrico  of  the 
individual.  Xeuwied  describes  three  jjrincipal  styles.  In  one 
the  face  fn)m  the  mouth  ui)wards  is  painted  red  with  urucii.     In 

*  History  of  Brazil,  Chap.  XIII. 

t  L'flciiimf  Amc'ricaiti,  Tome  I.  ]>.  79. 

\  Hist,  de  rOrviioque,  Trad.,  Avignon,  l".'i2.  Tome  I.  p.  lOS.  Cited  by 
D'Orliifrny.     Soe  Humboldt,  Travels,  Bohn'.s  edition,  Vol.  II.  p.  463. 

§  Henderson,  in  liis  usually  inaecurate  style,  says  that  the  Botocudos  paint 
tliemselves  gr(«.'n  or  yellow. 


500 


AI'PKXDIX. 


another  the  liudy.  upper  arrrs,  and  thighs  to  just  below  the 
knee.s  are  staiiiLMl  lihick,  the  colored  portii'U  bein;^  separate<l  frmn 
the  niipainted  liy  a  red  stripe.  Sometimes  one  half  the  l)ody  was 
])ainted  liliick,  the  rest  being  left  uneolored.  Occasionally  a  Ijlack 
liui'  like  a  mustache  was  drawn  across  the  npj)er  lip,  and  ex- 
tended to  the  ears,  the  rest  of  the  face  bciny  red,  and  Ncuwicd 
savs  that  sometimes  the  sides  of  the  bodv  arc  blackened  from  tin 
shoulders  to  the  feet,  the  middle  of  the  body  being  without  coldr. 
The  cokirs  arc  usually  i)repared  in  the  upper  shell  of  a  turtle,  and 
are  carried  in  a  joint  of  bamlxio. 

As  Von  'I'schudi  has  well  remiU'ked,  a  naked  I'otocudo  warrior, 
with  his  black  i)ain'  A  oody,  red  face,  and  lip  and  ear  ornaments, 
nuist  [iresent  a  most  demoniacal  appearance.  In  the  forest  the 
Botocudos  g\  naked.  .Not  a  single  Indian  I  saw  wore  any  orna- 
ment on  the  head  or  liody,  unless  it  were  a  simjile  string  of  beads. 
"When  at  work  on  the  fazendas  they  go  as  nearly  naked  as  jiossiljle: 
tlie  men  often  tie  a  shirt  by  the  arms  around  the  waist,  letting  the 
liodv  hang  down  in  front;  the  women  wciir  only  a  tattered  skirt. 
These  garments  aiv  inunediately  discarded  as  soon  as  they  return 
to  the  forest,  and  one  may  see  little  bands  entirely  naked  in  the 
vicinity  of  Philadelphia  and  other  settlements  in  the  Botocudo 
region.  Like  other  savage  nations,  the  l)otocndo  shows  no  symp- 
tom of  shame  on  exposing  the  person  in  the  presence  of  those  who 
are  di'essed. 

The  ornaments  of  the  wild  Indian  woman  consist  of  a  bami 
sometimes  worn  abo\it  the  head,  from  which  on  one  side  dejiend 
a  number  of  long  strinufs  to  the  ends  of  which  ai'e  attached  hoofs 
of  capibaras  ;  of  collars  made  of  hard  berry-like  fruits  strung  on 
threads,  together  with  the  teeth  of  monkeys,  .tc,  or  of  strings  of 
the  hoofs  of  wild  pigs  ;  and  of  armlets  of  beads  and  teeth.  The 
chiefs  sometimes  oniament  themselves  with  feathers,  but  this  is 
rare. 

I  never  saw  a  savage  Indian  woman  wearing  a  flower,  though 
the  civilized  Indians  are  very  fond  of  them,  as  Mrs.  Agassiz  tells  us 
m  the  "Journey  in  Brazil.'' 


ox   TIIi:   BOTOCUDOS. 


rj 


01 


:  liflow  till' 
)iiratc!fl  frniii 
he  liody  was 
iiully  a  Mack 
lip,  ami  cx- 
,11(1    Ncuwifil 

110(1  IVdlll  the 

■ithdiit  ciilur. 
a  turtle,  and 

cudo  wavr'uir, 
r  ornamoiits, 
lie  lorost  till' 
ire  any  oriia- 
rinu;  of  Itciulss. 
■d  us  ixjssililu: 
st,  k'ttiiiji'  tlie 
ixttovcd  skirt, 
tlicy  return 

naked  in  the 

ic  Botocudu 

)\\s  no  syinp- 

iif  those  who 

1   of  a  bani'i 

side  dejieiid 

ttaehed  hoofs 

its  strunj;  on 

of  strings  of 

teeth.     The 

s,  hut  this  is 

)wer,  though 
uassiz  tells  ns 


The  arms  of  the  Botocudo  consist  of  the  how  an<l  arrow  ;  clulis 
are  rarely  used.  The  how  in  ordinary  use  is  ahout  live  feet  in 
length,  and  is  made  from  the  wood  of  the  Airi-pahn.  Tiiis  wikkI 
is  exceedingly  hard,  heavy  and  strong,  and  of  a  very  dark  reildish- 
brown  color.  The  how  is  thickest  in  the  middle,  where  it  is  round, 
and  it  tajjors  regularly  to  each  end.  So  ditlicnlt  are  these  hnws 
to  hend,  that  no  one  hut  an  Indian  can  use  tliem.  Mr.  ("o})eland 
brought  one  from  the  (Juandu  with  him,  which  not  even  mir 
strong  eanoe-men  could  bend.*  These  bows  vary  somewhat  in 
size,  some  being  even  seven  feet  in  length. 

The  arrows  are  usually  about  six  feet  in  length,  ami  aiv  madi' 
of  the  ('//d,  Cuniiac/iuba,  6ic.,  which  furnish  light  and  stn^ng  reed- 
like stems. 

The  arrow  used  in  war  is  tijjped  with  a  javelindike  head,  five  or 
six  inches  long,  and  sometimes  two  inches  broad,  which  is  made  of 
a  j)iece  from  the  side  of  a  joint  of  Bamboo,  and  is  eonseijiuiitly 
convex  on  tme  side  and  concave  on  the  other.  This  is  cut  intn  a 
sort  of  elliptical  shape,  and  sharpened  to  a  long  acute  point.  It 
is  then  hardened  in  lire,  and  the  arrow-head  is  prepared  with 
an  edge  as  sharp  as  a  knife.  The  head  is  bound  into  the  arrnw- 
shaft  with  bark.  This  arrow,  which  is  employed  not  only  in  war, 
but  in  the  chase  of  the  'i'a[)ir,  is,  like  the  other  kinds  in  use  among 
these  Indians,  ti[iped  with  the  feathers  of  some  large  bird,  a  single 
feather  being  bound  on  each  side.  It  makes  a  terrible  wound,  and 
one  particularly  dangerous,  because  of  the  concave  shape  of  the 
arrow,  which  facilitates  bleeding. 

Another  arrow  in  use  sometimes  in  war,  but  usually  in  the 
chase,  is  furnished  with  a  thin,  narrow  head,  about  a  foot  long,  with 
backward  j)rojecting  jioints  cnt  on  one  side,  — a  terrible  weajjon. 

For  birds  and  small  game  an  arrow  is  used  whose  tip  is  made 

*  S]icakinix  fif  tlio  strcncrtli  of  the  buliaii';  of  tlie  vicinity  of  Rio,  and  of  tlic 
stitfucss  of  their  hows,  Tatv  .<ays,  Cap.  XIII.:    "81  loniritmlinc  et  crassitu- 


diiic  nostros  afleo  su)it.'rt\nt,  ut  cos  nee  I 
l)Ossit  ;  i[iiin  potius  immo  totis  virihus  piic 


ntare  nee  adihicere  ulliu">  nostrum 
roriiiii  decein  annoruni  areuhus  cur- 


vaiidis 


opus  esse. 


502 


APPENDIX. 


from  a  stem  cut  at  the  node  wliero  several  little  branches  have 
their  origin  in  a  circle  ;  the  stem  is  fashioned  into  u  lilunt  point  just 
above  the  node  and  the  branches  are  cut  otf  short.  An  arrow  of 
this  kind,  of  course,  does  not  tear  but  only  bruises.  I  once  en- 
countered several  Indians  near  Urucil  returning  to  tlieir  camp 
from  hunting  small  lizards  with  these  l)lunt  arrows.  (Juns  are 
ntit  nnuii  in  use  among  these  savages,  though  they  soon  learn  to 
use  tiiem  very  expertly.* 

'I'lie  IJotocudos  use  a  sort  of  speaking-trumpet  made  of  the  skin 
of  the  tiiil  of  the  great  armadillo  {JJdf^t/jfus  </t;/<i.s)  to  call  one 
another  in  the  forest. 

IJefore  the  discovery  of  America  the  Indians  of  Brazil,  both 
Tupi  and  Botocudo,  used  cutting  instruments  of  stone  of  various 
shiiiies,  and  at  Linhares  on  the  llio  Doce  the  subdelegado  pre- 
sented me  with  a  stone  instrument,  probably  of  Tupi  origin,  of 
the  shape  of  a  saddler's  cutting-knife.  It  was  made  from  a  very 
hard  gray  stone.  1  unfortunately  lost  the  specimen,  so  that  I 
am  unable  to  figure  it.  I  have  never  seen  any  of  the  stone  imple- 
ments of  the  Botocudos.  Their  principal  cutting  instnmiont,  be- 
sides their  bamlioo  razors,  consists  of  a  common  stout  knife,  like 
a  butcher-knife,  tliough  they  make  knives  from  hoop-iron,  or  any- 
thing else  that  will  serve  rhe  jjurpose.  This  knife  tliey  always 
cai'ry  slung  over  the  back  by  a  cord  around  the  neck. 

The  nation  of  the  Botocudos  is  divided  into  a  number  of  little 
trihns,  as  they  are  called,  or  collections  of  a  larger  or  smaller 
number  of  families,  each  tribe  inhabiting  a  certain  region  in 
which  they  have  their  AJdeamenio  or  head-quarters.  Each  one  of 
these  tribes  is  governed  by  a  chief  usually  selected  for  his  strength 
and  bravery,  and  the  tribe  frequently  takes  its  name  from  the 
leader.  Thus  a  tritie  in  the  Mucury  region,  headed  by  a  chief  of 
Herculean  strength  named  PoJic/id,f  goes  by  his  name.     Henrique 

*  Von  Tschudi  says  that  the  Inilians  not  only  shoot  more  successfully,  but 
to  a  greater  distance  with  their  arrows,  than  the  European  can  with  his  j^un. 

t  A  son  of  Pojicha  was  a  servant  in  the  house  of  Signor  Gazinelli,  in  Santac 
Clara. 


f5 


ox  Tin:  noTOcuDOS. 


."1)3 


bmnches  have 
hint  pohit  just 
An  arrow  of 
;3.  I  onco  cn- 
to  thi'ir  caiiiji 
w.s.  (Jims  uro 
^  soon  learn  to 

\tlo  of  the  skhi 
.s)  to  cull  one 

if  Brazil,  both 
one  of  various 
bdelegado  i)ro- 
ru})i  origin,  of 
do  from  u  very 
len,  so  that  I 
ic  stone  implc- 
nstrumcnt,  bc- 
tout  knife,  like 
>p-iron,  or  any- 
'e  they  always 
neck. 

umber  of  little 
^cr  or  smaller 
tain  region  in 
P/ich  one  of 
or  his  strength 
lamo  from  the 
I  by  a  chief  of 
me.     Henrique 

I  snccpssfully,  but 
n  with  his  jj^un. 
izinelli,  in  Santac 


rJerber*  says  that  "they  divide  themselves  into  scveml  tribes, 
of  whicli  some  are  domesticated  and  gathered  together  into  vil- 
lages; others,  still  wild,  wamh-r  through  the  f(jrests  (jf  the  valhys 
of  the  Mucury,  Docc,  Tumbacury,  l^rui.uca,  itc.  All  of  them,  hnw- 
cver,  distinguish  themselves  disadvuntageously  from  the  .Maclia- 
lalis  and  Malalis  by  the  inferior  degree  of  their  intellectual  facul- 
ties.    The  principal  domesticated  trilies  are  :  — 

(t.  The  Naknenuks  (dwellers  in  the  Serra),  a  confederation  of 
various  tribes,  who  occupy  the  valleys  of  the  upper  Tn.lus  os 
Santos,  Pote,  and  Mucury,  in  the  Al'h'umentox  of  the  CupitAo 
Felippe,  in  the  forest  of  Sa(.  Joao,  of  the  Captain  \\A(',  on  tiie 
margin  of  the  brook  Pote,  of  the  Captain  Timothe'o,  on  the  Iicitd- 
waters  of  the  'J'odos  os  Santos,  itc. 

i.  The  tribes  -  f  Pojicha,  encamped  three  leagues  beh.w  Phila- 
delphia. 

c.  The  tribes  of  Ciporok,  on  the  margins  of  tlie  rruci'i  and 
Lower  Mucury. 

(/.   The  IJakiu's,  on  the  left  margin  of  the  Mucury. 

€.  The  Aranaiis  on  the  margins  of  the  Surubim  and  Sassidiv. 

Von  Tschudit  has  given  the  distril)ution  of  the  tribes  with  so 
much  detail  and  apparent  precision  that  I  quote  what  he  has  to 
say  on  the  subject  :  — 

"The  nation  of  tlio  Botocudos  is  broken  up  into  a  multitude  of 
tribes,  of  which  the  most  divide  themselves  again  into  iiuli'pcu(hnt 
hordes.  On  the  head-waters  of  the  Mucury  and  'I\k1os  os  Santos 
live  the  Nakncnuks.  From  my  researches  into  the  meaning  <.f 
this  word  two  entirely  opposite  cxplatiations  have  presented  them- 
selves to  me.  According  to  one  version,  the  name  should  nietm 
'  Lords  of  the  land,'  according  to  the  other,  '  Not /rom  this  land.' 
I  am  not  in  the  position  to  determine  which  translation  is  the  more 
correct. ;!:     To  the  Xaknenuks  must  be  reckoned  as  belonging  the 

*  Nocoes  Geofirnjicas,  &c.,  ))p.  24,  27). 

t  lieisen  diirch  Siid-Amerika,  Vol.  II.  j).  264. 

t  Sue  Gurher,  quoteil  above.   Yon  Martius  translates  the  name  "  homines  tm-cc." 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


I.I 


1.25 


2.2 


12.0 


i^  11 1.6 


7 


A 


4. 


^      /^^ 


*v    ^<° 


:/. 


C/a 


^ 


Hiotographic 

Sdences 
Corporation 


23  WE^T  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


iV 


L1>' 


\\ 


%^ 


.-'■'* 

'% 


5114 


APPENDIX, 


Americanos  d'Agoa  Branca  on  the  Hio  Proto,  belonging  to  the 
basin  of  the  Jcquitinhonha,  where  they  possess  a  considerable 
ahlea. 

"  The  Nakneniiks  of  the  ilncnry  consist  of  the  following  known 
hordes,  which  arc  called  after  their  chiefs  :  The  horde  of  Potc, 
probably  the  strongest  of  all,  only  two  leagues  distant  from  Phila- 
delphia, that  of  Cramtan,  liraz,  Fotou,  Timothco,  Inhome,  Ft'lipc, 
Xiiikatc,  and  yorti'tc.  The  last,  which  formerly  numbered  over  a 
hundred  'bows'  tit  for  war,  has  lately  melted  away  to  only  a  few 
families 

"  South  of  the  Serra  Mapmap-crak,  which  separates  the  basin, 
live  the  Anuiaus,  the  bitterest  enemies  of  the  Naknenuks,  on  the 
Piio  Aranau.  From  the  northern  tributary  of  the  Muciuy,  the  Kio 
Panpan  [Pampam  or  Pampao]  to  Santa  Clara  stretch  the  Bakucs, 
and  west  from  these  to  near  the  shore  the  tribe  of  Urufu.  On 
the  source  of  the  Rio  Preto  are  the  bands  of  Joao  Ima,  Caaumro, 
Maciel,  and  other  subordinate  chiefs,  Jumemi,  Capord,  ximpaqueja. 
In  the  southern  basin  of  the  Mucury  we  meet  at  the  Ilibeirao  do 
Saudade  with  the  tribe  of  the  rcdoutable  Captain  Poschischd*  some- 
what farther  east  of  the  Riberao  das  Lages,  the  tribus  of  Jfd-mck, 
Shiporok,  and  Pnfil;  and  still  eastward  toward  the  coast,  in  the 
basin  of  the  Silo  Matheos,  the  hordes  of  Pokoriin,  Pxitata,  and 
others.  On  the  Rio  Urucu,  or  the  largest  southern  affluent  of  the 
Mucury,  the  .Shiporoh  and  the  chiefs  Jnqnirann  and  Maron. 

"  On  the  subje<;t  of  the  name  '  Sln'poroF  I  have  no  more  ligiit 
than  on  that  of  Xaknenuk.  According  to  some,  Shiporok  means 
enemi/,  and  with  this  name  the  Indians  commonly  designate  theii- 
adversaries.  The  tribe,  howevei',  does  not  name  itself  so.  P>y 
what  name  it  designates  itself  I  could  not  learn.  An  Indian  sol- 
dier, and  one  excellently  acquainted  with  the  language  of  this 
race,   and    of    whom   I   made   numerous   inquiries  concerning  it, 

*  Von  Tschiuli,  like  a  German,  has  mistaken  a  sound  very  near  the  French 
j  for  an  .s/(.  Shiporok  is  pronounced  zhl/xlnl'lc,  tlie  sound  zh  representing  a 
sound  somewhat  intermediate  between  tlie  French  /  and  the  Sjianish  ch. 


ii 


ON  THE  ROTOCUDOS. 


50.J 


assni'ed  nic  tliat  Sliiporok  meant  \frii)u  tliix  side  of  the  uio'iiit'tln,'' 
or  '■from  hch'uid  the  moualuin,^  and  that  this  was  the  only  iiamo  of 
tlie  race.  In  the  hiiiguage  of  the  BotociKU)s,  8hi]x)rak  means 
brother,  and  .Sliipurok,  arm.  Jn  the  year  181(5  I'rince  Max.  zu 
Neuwied  met  witli  a  brave  lj<jtocn(lo  chief,  called  Jcparak,  at  the 
Qnartel  dos  Arcos  ou  the  river  IJelmonte.  It  is  not  unlikely  that 
Ills  band  went  later  southwaixl,  and  settled  in  the  basin  of  the  Mu- 
cury.  About  thirty  years  later  the  Shiporoks  were  at  the  Liigna 
d'Arara,  on  the  north  bank  of  tlie  Mueury,  and  about  eight  years 
after  we  find  them  ou  the  Uio  Urucil,  a  southern  tributary  of  this 
stream.  By  the  indistinct,  often  suppressed  soiuuls  of  tlie  vowels 
in  many  WH)rds  of  the  language  of  the  Botocudos,  I  believe  that 
the  mode  of  writing  the  word  on  the  part  of  Prince  ^Maximilian 
is  no  hindrance  to  the  opinion  that  the  Indian  race  of  the  .Jepa- 
raks  which  he  met  with  at  Belmonte  are  identical  with  the  ^5hi- 
poroks  at  Urucil. 

"  All  the  Indian  bands  ou  the  basin  of  the  Mueury,  with  the 
exception  of  the  Malalis,  ^lachacalis,  and  perhaps  the  Arauaus, 
belong  to  the  race  of  the  Botocudos  or  EiKjerakmunii,  as  they  call 
themselves.  Some  bands  have  settled  down  in  permanent  dwell- 
ing-places, Aldoamcntos  or  Aldeas,  and  we  have  especially  to 
notice  the  Aldcamento  do  Poton,  the  Aldo.  do  Pote,  Aldo.  do  Tra- 
catan,  Aldo.  de  Curien(,'a  (das  Cursiumas),  Aldo.  do  Xoi-tete,  Aldo. 
do  Sao  .Joao,  Aldo.  d'Agoa  Boa,  Aldo.  dos  Aranaus.  In  the  year 
1817,  out  of  these  eight  Aldeamentos  one  hundred  and  four  indi- 
vidiuds  were  converted  to  Christianity  (of  course  only  in  name) : 
among  them  the  three  chiefs,  Pote,  Poton,  and  Cra'iiatan.  By 
the  inhabitants  of  some  of  those  villages  some  cidtivation  of  the 
gi'ound  is  carried  on,  but  it  is  confine<l  chiefly  to  the  cultivation  of 
maize  and  mandioca.  The  number  of  individuals  in  these  bands 
varies  much.  Some  coimt  several  himdreds,  others  scarcely  eighty 
to  a  hundred,  with  oidy  about  twenty  efficient  fightiu'j:  men. 
From  the  number  of  the  bow-bearing  warriors  one  can  with  surety 
estimate  the  number  of  souls  in  a  l)aud,  because  this  last,  ou  the 


5'JG 


APPENDIX. 


average,  amounts  to  four  tiiurs  tlic  nuiulior  of  warriors.  T  believe 
that  I  ;uu  not  fiir  from  the  truth  when  1  estimate  tl>e  total  num- 
ber of  Indians  in  tiie  basin  of  the  Mucury  at  from  twenty-eight 
huiuh'ed  to  tliree  thousand  souls. 

'I'he  I'otoeudos,  when  travelling  in  the  forest,  build  for  them- 
selves shelters  of  palm  leaves,  whieh  they  stiek  in  the  ground  in 
a  half-eirele,  the  tips  of  the  fronds  arehing  together  forming  a 
sort  of  roof  In  travelling  through  the  forest  between  the  Mueury 
and  Peruhype,  I  saw  great  numbers  of  deserted  ranehos  of  this 
kind  in  the  forest. 

Where  they  eneamp  long  in  one  plaee  they  make  their  ranch 
more  substantial  with  a  better  roof,  and  often  of  sidiieient  size 
to  hold  several  families.  The  whole  furnishing  of  the  eabin  of 
a  Botocudo  is  of  the  simplest  possible  kind.  The  lire  is  made 
in  the  middle.  Rarely  ever  are  earthen  pots  used  for  eooking. 
They  make  use  of  gourds  and  the  eup-like  receptacle  of  the 
Sapueaia  (Lect/tkix)  for  drinking  purposes  and  for  the  i)reparation 
t)f  their  food.  "Water  they  carry  in  the  joints  of  the  Ta([uara-assu, 
in  which  they  also  keep  their  painting  materials.  Beils  iire  made 
of  esfopa  or  bast-fibre. 

The  food  of  the  Botocudos  consists  of  sapueaia  nuts,  palmito 
buds,  and  the  fruits  of  the  Ing;i,  Jabotieaba,  Arat^-a  or  Ooyaba, 
:Maracuja  (passion-flower),  etc.,  with  the  roots  of  Cipos  and  other 
]-)lants.  They  are  fond  of  Indian  '  rn,  bananas,  and  mandioca, 
which  thev  steal  whenever  thev  can  from  the  plantations. 

They  hunt  game  of  all  kinds,  but  they  arc  particularly  fond  of 
monkeys,  whof,-e  flesh,  as  I  can  myself  testify,  is  exceedingly  savory. 
They  even  cat  the  on(,'a  and  other  carnivores,  the  ant-eater,  alli- 
gators and   lizards,  and  the  boa-constrictor. 

Among  birds  they  are  particularly  fond  of  the  Mutum,  the 
Jacupemba,  itc,  and  they  also  eat  their  eggs.  Fish  are  usually 
shot  with  small  bows,  which  are  used  with  great  dexterity.  Some- 
times thoy  employ  a  poisonous  root,  which,  put  into  the  water 
of  a  pool,  kills  the  fish. 


ors.  I  believe 
the  total  uum- 
ii  twenty -eight 

uild  for  thoni- 
thc  ground  in 
liei"  forming  a 
L'li  the  Muenry 
anehos  of  this 

\C  their  ranch 
sutiieient  size 
the  ciihin  of 
)  tii'e  is  made 
;1  for  cooking, 
.'ptacle  of  the 
he  [)reparation 
I  Taqnara-assu, 
jeds  are  made 

nuts,  palmito 

a  or  Govaba, 

)os  and  other 

id  niandioca, 

ions. 

larly  fond  of 

lingly  savory. 

mt-eater,  alli- 

Mutum,  tlio 
I  arc  usually 
erity.  Some- 
to  the  water 


ON  THE  r.oTocrno.s. 


597 


They  arc  very  fond  of  the  gn-eat,  fat  larvic  of  certain  inscjcts 
which  burrow  in  decaying  wood.  Among  these,  according  to  N'eu- 
wicd,  is  the  larva  of  the  Priinnia  ccnuroruis,  which,  with  (jLlicr 
species,  live  in  the  trunks  of  the  Iloinhn.i;  or  Barrigu(k».  Numbers 
of  these  disgusting  grubs  are  impaled  on  a  sharp  stick  and  toasted 
at  the  fire. 

Usually  all  animal  food  is  cooked  in  this  way.  T'ananas,  pota- 
toes, itc,  they  sometimes  bake  in  the  hot  ashes.  Ants  also  are 
eaten.  ' 

They  arc  fond  of  hone\',  and  foi'mcrly  they  used  to  cut  down 
hollow  trees  with  stone  axes  to  obtain  it.  'I'o-day  steel  axes  and 
hatchets  are  occasionally  to  be  seen  among  the  Indians. 

Fire  is  to  the  15otocudo  an  object  of  nnich  care,  because  if  it  is 
lost  it  is  only  to  be  rekindled  with  great  dilliculty.  In  order  to 
obtain  it  the  Indian  prociu'cs  a  stick  of  some  light,  dry  wooil,  and 
makes  a  small  hollow  in  it.  This  stick  he  places  on  the  gi'ound  and 
hohls  securely  with  his  foot.  He  then  takes  a  long  dry  stick,  one 
end  of  which  is  somewhat  blunted,  and  places  it  in  the  liollow 
above  mentioned.  The  other  end  is  taken  between  the  two  palms, 
the  stick  is  held  vei'tically,  and  by  a  rapid  motion  of  the  hands 
it  is  caused  to  twirl  until  the  friction  of  the  lower  end  in  the 
hollow  of  the  otaor  stick  has  caused  it  to  take  fire,  when  estopa 
or  bast  is  ignited,  and  a  fire  is  speedily  made.  This  method  of 
procm-ing  fire  is  also  employed  by  some  of  the  aborigines  of  North 
America.  We  find  the  same  custom  in  Africa  among  tlio  Bush- 
men and  Catfres,*  and  in  the  Aleutian  and  Caroline  Islands. 

The  only  things  miuiufacturcd  by  the  Botocudos  ctjnsist  of  bows 
and  arrows,  a  few  little  ornaments,  and  bags  made  of  the  l)ast-fibre 
of  different  plants.  These  last  they  barter  with  the  whites  for 
food,  &c.  They  bring  in  to  the  fazcndas  the  wax  of  wild  bees, 
ipecacuanha,  skins,  <kc.,  but  this  barter  is  conducted  only  on  the 
very  smallest  scale. 

*  Albert!,  Descrip.  Pfii/s.  ct  Hist,  des  Caffrcs,  p.  36.    Campbell,  Riisein  Siul- 
Afrilcii,  p.  37. 


598 


APrKXPIX. 


The  Botociulos  tako  usually  but  one  wife.  Von  Tschudi  says 
that  when  a  irau  has  chosen  a  \voman  for  his  wife,  he  agrees  witli 
the  fatlier  as  to  a  certain  tribute  whicli  he  shall  pay  in  game  or 
something  else,  when  the  woman  is  handed  over  to  him  and 
with  no  finther  ceremony  is  thereafter  his  wife. 

Neuwied  says  that  a  man  may  have  as  many  wives  as  ho  can 
take  care  of.  Adultery  is  I'are,  and  is  visited  with  heavy  punish- 
ment on  the  woman.  The  husbands  are  very  cruel  and  unkind 
to  their  wives.  The  husband,  when  angry  with  his  spouse,  beats 
her  unmercifully,  and  cuts  her  with  his  knife.  I  never  saw  a  mar- 
ried woman  who  was  not  covered  with  scars,  on  her  face,  back, 
breast,  and  arms  ;  it  is  the  conmionest  thing  to  sec  them  six 
inches  or  more  in  length,  and  one  woman  may  bear  the  marks  of 
many  terrible  wounds,  which  it  seems  marvellous  she  should  have 
sixrvived. 

The  good  health  of  savages,  and  the  facility  with  which  they 
recover  from  injuries  which  would  have  proved  fatal  to  an  ordinary 
civilized  man,  have  been  often  commented  upon  by  many  authors. 
Numerous  instances  are  on  record  of  Negroes,  ^Malays,  Pacific 
Islanders,  and  American  Indians  who  have  survived  horrible 
wounds  and  mutilations,  showing  that  Nature's  power  of  healing  is 
greater  among  savage  than  among  civilized  nations.* 

The  woman  is  really  the  slave  of  the  husband,  and  all  hard  work 
falls  to  her  lot.  On  the  march  she  carries  the  family  goods,  or  the 
larger  share,  packed  in  a  biig,  which  is  slung  on  the  back  by  a  band 
which  passes  over  the  forehead.  The  mother  carries  her  child 
on  her  back  sitting  in  a  loop  of  bark  which  passes  over  her 
forehead,  the  child  clasping  her  neck. 

The  children  arc  kindly  treated,  at  least  when  young,  but  the 
tie  between  parent  and  child  is  not  strong,  f     At  Stlo  Matheos 


*  Wiiitz,  Introduction  to  Anthropoloj^y,  p.  126. 

t  Tlio  women  cany  their  children  on  tlieir  hacks  sitting  in  a  loop  of  hark 
wliich  passes  over  the  mother's  forehead,  the  child  clasping  the  mother  ahout 
the  neck. 


ON  Tin-:  r.OTOcuDOs. 


599 


there  was  on  the  fazenda  a  yuuuL,'  woman  wlio  liad  two  children ; 
one,  a  boy  several  years  old,  was  sick  from  dirt-eatinj^,  and  was 
stunted  in  growth,  yellow,  and  swollen  ;  the  other  was  a  babe  at 
the  breast.  The  mothei'  was  anxious  to  sell  the  elder,  and  1  could 
have  bought  hhn  for  a  trifle.  One  day  the  babe  suddenly  died. 
The  raoth.er  immetliately  dug  a  grave  for  it  in  the  floor  of  tho 
ranch(j,  and  went  pleasantly  about  her  work  as  usual,  the  only 
cifect  on  her  being  to  make  her  determine  not  to  sell  the  boy. 
Children  are  frequently  bartered  away  to  the  fazendeiros,  who  in 
reality  hold  them  as  slaves. 

(Jf  the  religious  ideas  of  the  Botoeudos  we  have  not  so  much 
information  as  we  could  wish.  Most  writers  agree  with  Neuwied 
that  the  Botocudos  believe  in  and  fear  a  l)ad  spii'it  called  Janchoii, 
and  Xeuwied  says  that  they  recognize  many  of  them,  which  they 
distinguish  as  great  and  small.  The  great  devil  comes  in  the 
guise  of  a  black  man  visiting  the  camps ;  sometimes  he  sleeps 
awhile  by  the  fire  and  then  goes  away,  but  all  who  see  him  die. 
This  same  devil  is  accused  of  beating  the  dogs  to  death  with  sticks, 
and  of  killing  children. 

The  Tupi  race  seems  to  have  some  idea  of  a  God,  and  they 
called  Him  T)fpa  or  Tiipnn,  which  name  is  derived  from  tho 
word  tuhn,  father.  It  is  a  ditRcult  matter  to-day  to  arrive  at 
any  clear  knowledge  of  the  pi-imitive  religious  helief  of  the 
Botocudos,  because  they  have  derived  so  mtuiy  ideas  thr(-)Ugh 
intercourse  with  tho  Portuguese.  I  was  unable  to  learn  that 
the  Botocudos  had  any  idea  of  a  God.  The  moon,  which  they 
call  Tdiirir,  is  an  object  of  fear,  the  Indians  believing  that  occa- 
sionally it  falls  upon  the  earth,  destroying  men,  and  that  it 
sends  storm  and  famine.  Xo  worship  is  offered  to  any  of  these 
things,  and  they  have  neither  priests  nur  medicine-mcu  like  tho 
Tnpis. 

The  dead  are  buried  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  camp, 
or  even  in  the  wigwam,  and  this  last  api)cars  to  be  usually  tho 
case.     The  child   that  died   at   Sao   Matheos  was   buried   in   the 


coo 


APPENDIX. 


earth  forming  tlic  floor  of  the  ranch  in  wliich  the  Iu(hiiiKs  •were 
quartered.  When  a  death  t»ccurs  they  usually  desert  the  camping- 
ground  for  another,  but  1  feel  sure  that  I  saw  the  Indians  occupying 
the  same  ranch  in  which  the  dead  child  was  buried.  'I'hc  relatives 
gather  together  and  howl  for  one  day  after  the  death,  the  women 
taking  a  specially  prominent  part  in  the  ceremony ;  lait  the  next 
day  they  idl  go  about  their  work  as  if  nothing  had  happened. 
In  some  places  the  hands  of  the  defunct  arc  bound  together  before 
burial.  The  corpse  is  buried  in  a  horizontal  position,  and  a  fire  is 
lit  to  keep  away  the  devil,  for  they  believe  that  if  this  evil  spirit 
should  find  no  fire  at  a  grave  he  would  dig  out  the  body.  Deserted 
wigwams  in  the  vicinity  of  graves  are  a  common  sight  in  the  forest. 
Sometimes  a  shelter  of  ])ahn-leaves  is  built  over  the  burial-place, 
as  Neuwied  has  remarked,  xsothing  is  put  in  the  grave  with 
the  dead  l)ody,* 

The  different  tribes  or  Aldeamentos  are  frequently  at  war  witK 
one  another.  At  the  time  of  my  visit  to  the  Mucury  there  was  a 
skirmish  between  two  bands  near  Cannas  Brabas  on  the  Phila' 
delphia,  the  i)articulars  of  which  I  was  unable  to  learn.  I  had 
sent  my  baggage  on  ahead  of  me  to  Philadelphia  in  care  of 
Signor  Battista,  who  was  conducting  a  train  of  ox-carts  witl* 
salt,  itc.  Near  Cannas  Brabas  he  was  attacked  by  the  Botocudos 
and  shot  at,  but  escaped  by  plunging  into  the  forest,  from  which 
he  cmci'ged  nearly  naked.  On  arriving  at  Cannas  Brabas  we 
found  the  place  nearly  deserted,  but  wo  passed  the  place  of  danger 
in  the  night  wdthout  seeing  an  Indian. 

Their  mode  of  warfare  is  the  attack  by  night  or  from  ambush. 
A  victory  is  celebrated  by  song  and  dance.  I  found  the  belief 
everywhere  current  that  they  sometimes  ate  the  bodies  of  the 
slain,  and  from  all  the  information  I  have  received,  I  think 
there  can  be   no  doubt  that  cannibalism  is  one  of  the  customs 


*  Tlie  foitor  at  Capitiio  Grande  told  nic  that  when  a  little  child  died  it  was  the 
custom  to  jmt  by  tlie  grave  a  hottle  of  milk  drawn  from  the  mother's  breast, 
toirethor  with  the  hones  of  some  wiUl  animals. 


0   Indians  were 

I't  the  ciimping- 

lians  occupying 

'I'he  relatives 

iitli,  the  women 

^ ;  Imt  the  next 

liad  liappened. 

toicctlier  before 

on,  and  a  tire  is 

tliis  evil  spirit 

jody.    Deserted 

lit  in  the  forest. 

he  burial-place, 

the  grave  with 

tly  at  war  witK 

ury  there  was  a 

J  on  the  ^hila^ 

>  learn.     I  had 

:iia   in  care  of 

ox-carts  wit]» 

the  Botocudos 

st,  from  which 

mas  Brabas  we 

)lace  of  danger 

from  ambush, 
and  tlie  belief 

bodies  of  the 
eived,    I   think 

if  the  customs 

1(1  diod  it  was  tlio 
iiiother'ij  breast, 


ON  THE  r.OTOcrnos. 


GOl 


of  the  Piotocudos.  At  present  the  Tmlians  arc  very  peaceful,  but 
from  time  to  time  they  have  committed  outrages  on  the  whites, 
miH'dering,  rnul  burning  houses  on  the  Mucury,  at  Sao  Matheos, 
and  on  the  Doce. 

When  at  the  Fazcnda  do  (\a})itao  Grande  I  witnessed  one  even- 
ing the  dance  of  the  ]}ot()ctuU)S.  A  bottle  of  cacluK^-a,  or  native 
rum,  had  been  given  them,  over  whicii  they  were  very  meiry. 
Four  of  them  took  their  position  naked  in  the  yard  in  front  of 
the  house,  and  formed  a  s(piare,  facing  one  another,  then  all 
four  placed  their  left  feet  together,  the  right  leg  remaining 
stretched  out.  All  bowed  their  heads  together  and  placed  their 
arms  on  each  other's  shoulders.  Then  they  began  a  monotonous 
song,*  Ci'i/diu-d-ct,  CAlCint -d-ha ,  to  which  they  all  kept  time  by 
hitching  a  step  forward  with  the  right  foot,  keeping  the  left  (luiet. 
This  dance  they  kept  up  for  some  time.  They  are  apparently 
very  fond  of  it,  and  the  overseer  of  the  fazenda  informed  me 
that  they  sometimes  kept  it  up  imtil,  exhausted  by  fatigue,  they 
fell  to  the  gromid. 

These  Indians  used  to  be  very  numerous  at  Sao  ^lathcos,  living 
in  the  forests  even  quite  close  to  the  sea ;  but  they  have  been  so 
killed  ott'  that  at  present  none  are  found  in  the  vicinity  except  on 
the  head-waters  of  the  river.  They  were  hunted  down  by  the  Por- 
tuguese settlers  like  wild  beasts,  and  one  gentleman  told  me  at , 

that  during  his  life  he  had,  either  with  his  own  hand  or  at  his 
command,  been  the  means  of  putting  to  death  by  knife  and  gun 
and  poison  over  a  thousand  of  these  poor  creatures  !  The  injuries 
committed  by  the  Botocudos  on  the  whites  are  as  nothing  com- 
pared with  the  wrongs  inflicted  upon  them  by  those  who  have 
dispossessed  them  of  their  home,  and  have  almost  destroyed  the 
race. 

The  Indians  have  learned  the  use  of  rum  and  tobacco,  of  both  of 
which  they  are  very  fond,  and  which  are  rapidly  working  their  ruin. 
In  the  Mucury,  Colonia  Leopoldina,  Sao  ^Matheos,  ana     ■  <-he  Doce, 

*  St.  Tlihiire  compares  the  song  of  theBotociulo  to  that  of  the  Chinese. 
VOL.   I.  26 


602 


APPEXniX. 


the  Indians  come  into  tlio  settlements  to  beg,  and  they  not  nn- 
frcfinontly  arc  employed  to  worlt  on  the  fuzendas,  tlicir  service 
being  voluntary.  At  Siio  Matheos  they  are  paid  in  victuals  and 
rum  ;  but  on  the  Mucury  tliey  have  learned  the  use  of  money, 
which  they  call  ^^rt^rav/.  At  Siio'  ^latheos  I  saw  botli  men  and 
women  at  work  witli  the  negroes.  They  arc  not  much  to  be  de- 
pended upon,  usually  remaining  but  a  few  days  on  the  fazcnda,  and 
then  returning  to  their  wild  life  in  the  forest.  They  arc  very  lazy, 
and  half  a  dozen  arc  scarcely  worth  an  able-bodied  negro.  Thoy 
seemed  very  docile  and  good-natured  ;  indeed,  I  was  particularly 
struck  with  this  last  feature  hi  their  character.  At  their  work  they 
laughed  and  i)laycd  jokes  on  one  another,  and  in  the  house  at  their 
meals  were  quite  as  merry  as  the  negroes.  They  have  nothing  of 
the  gravity,  stolidity,  and  want  of  curiosity  of  our  Northern  In- 
dians. They  have  no  idea  of  meiim  et  tuinn,  and  they  are  particu- 
larly addicted  to  stealing  bananas,  corn,  or  anything  else  they  hap- 
pen to  take  a  foncy  to.  They  often  come  almost  stark  naked  into 
Philadelphia  and  Urucii  to  beg. 

One  may  occasionally  find  a  civilized  Botocudo  on  a  fazenda, 
but  the  children  sold  by  the  parents  and  employed  as  servants  on 
the  plantations  scarcely  ever  grow  up. 

At  present  the  Botocudos  are  confined  to  the  virgin  forest  be- 
tween the  Rio  Doce  and  the  Rio  Pardo.  They  are  very  rarely  seen 
near  the  coast,  and  never  fre(|ucnt  the  campos  of  the  interior.  The 
race  is  fast  diminishing,  and  in  a  few  years  will  pass  out  of  exist- 
ence. The  Indians  of  the  coast  tribes  of  the  Tupi  race,  —  thanks  t' » 
the  labor  of  the  Jesuits,  —  have  become  civilized  and  converted  to 
Christianity,  and  now  form  an  integral  part  of  the  Brazilian  popu- 
lation, but  the  Botocndos  resist  civilization  and  the  influence  of 
Christianity,  and  are  simk  in  the  lowest  barbarism. 

The  language  of  the  Botocudos  is  entirelv  diiferent  from  the 
Tupi,  and  from  that  of  the  other  coast  tribes,  as  the  Patachos, 
Machalalis,  &c.  Although  spoken  by  all  the  Botocudos,  there  are 
dialectic   differences   observable   in    each    band,    different   words 


id  they  not  un- 
LS,  their  service 
in  victuals  anil 
use  of  money, 
both  men  autl 
much  to  1)0  (Ic- 
:he  fazcnda,  and 
cy  are  very  lazy, 
:l  negro.  Thoy 
vas  particularly 
their  woi'k  they 
e  house  at  their 
lave  nothing  of 
r  Northern  In- 
licy  are  particu- 
g  else  they  hap- 
tark  naked  into 

on  a  fazcnda, 
as  servants  on 

irLnn  forest  he- 
i'ery  I'arely  seen 
interior.  The 
ss  out  of  exist- 
cc,  —  thanks  to 
id  converted  to 
Brazilian  popu- 
hc  influence  of 

)rent  from  the 
the  Patachos, 

udos,  there  are 
ifterent   words 


ON   TlIK   r.OTOCUDOS. 


G0;3 


being  sometimes  used  by  diflerent  bands  to  distinguish  the  same 
object.  The  language  of  the  Xaknenuks,  Jiporoks,  i\:c.  is  one 
and  the  same.  Latham's  division  of  the  Hotoi-udo  into  the  I'xito- 
cudo  pro[)er  and  Naknenuk  is  incorrect,  and  the  ditlerences  ob- 
servable between  his  vocal )ularies  are  traceal)le  to  the  collectors  of 
these  vocabularies,  who  have  spelled  the  words  incoirectly,  as  they 
caught  the  sound  from  the  lip  of  the  native. 

At  present  wo  know  very  little  of  the  graunuatical  structure  of 
the  language,  the  vocabulary  being  very  incomi)lete. 

It  is  a  very  simple  language,  with  very  few  or  no  inflexions. 
The  first  words  the  stranger  is  likely  to  hear  uttered  by  a  native  — 
namely,  </lin;/-ijlht<j  —  bear  one  of  the  most  distinguishing  featui'es 
of  the  language.  It  is  extremely  rich  in  I'eduplicated  words. 
Thus  we  have  T('>n-t(jn  =  l)ad  ;  Kiacu-kiick-kiick  =  a  butterfly; 
Ong-oug=:to  sing;  Xaak-naak  =  a  gull ;  Encarang-cuong-ciKjug- 
gil)akiu  =  thc  great  boa,  t^'c,  itc. 

This  reduplication  appears  rarely  ever  to  extend  itself  to  words 
of  two  syllables.  Instead  of  doubling  a  word  of  two  syllable^',  only 
the  last  syllable  is  reduplicated,  as  in  the  sentence,  mlii->j'ili-i/'i7i- 
ri-mn-h(l-nm  =  \  am  thirsty.  These  constantly  recurring  doubled 
svllables  give  to  the  language  a  stutterini;  character.  The  Tui)i- 
Guarani  is  also  rich  in  reduplicated  words,  but  not  so  much  so  as 
the  Botocudo. 

The  principal  points  in  the  structure  of  the  language  thus  far 
noted  by  Xeuwied  and  others  are  these  :  — 

There  is  but  one  gentler,  namely,  neater.  There  are  two  num- 
bers, a  singidar  and  a  plural,  and  perhaps  a  dual.  The  plural  is 
formed  by  adding  urnhd  or  ruhl  (many)  to  the  singidar,  thus  : 
Kjiem  =  house  ;  Ivjiem-nruhu  =  houses,  also  village  ;  7\t/o//  =  tree  ; 
7^//u)i-t(rnhu  =  tYCCH  or  forest.  In  writing  my  vocabulary  at  Sao 
Matheos,  my  interpreter,  a  native;  Botocudo  who  spoke  Portu- 
guese quite  well,  gave  me  what  appeared  t(.)  be  a  dual  form  for 
several  words,  and  these  I  subjoin  exactly  as  I  noted  them  from 
his  lips. 


004 


ArrENDix. 

Man 

cuali-hrdi 

Two  men 

'nl't-cho-viJ 

Woman 

pu-clii'k 

Two  women 

'nit-fh(">-v<5-i5'n 

Eye 

kl-t(Vni 

Two  eyes 

nlk-l-to'm-chd-vo 

Kar 

fion-ho'n 

Two  ears 

fion-hun-cho-vO' 

Ai-m 

y(-miin 

Two  arms 

yT-miin-ch5-vo 

Hand 

ip-ii' 

Two  hands 

ip-ji'-cliu-V(5 

Leg 

ip-mfik 

Two  legs 

ip-mrik-cho-vo 

The  word  for  man  in  this  vocal )ular3'  coiTosponds  with  that 
given  by  Nenwied,  bnt  in  no  vocabidary  can  I  find  the  word  2^0- 
cln/i,  meaning  woman.  The  dnal  forms  of  botli  are  strange,  yet 
my  Botocudo  insisted  that ' iit t-ch6-v6  meant  dons  homens,  and  *nit- 
chu-vu-o'h,  (Ittns  mulheres.  There  may  possibly  be  some  mistake 
hero,  bnt  I  have  given  the  words  in  the  hope  that  some  one  else 
may  be  able  to  explain  them.  With  the  other  words  the  dnal  was 
formed  by  adding  the  termination  -chu-vo,  bnt  in  the  case  of  Kitom 
a  prefix  nl,  was  added. 

One  thi.'g  is  certain,  the  Botocndos  cannot  connt.  Their  only 
nnmcral  adjectives  being  viokcnam,  which  means,  rather,  single,  and 
urnhu,  viani/*  The  Botocndos  at  Capitao  (Irande  kept  an  acconnt 
of  their  days'  work  on  their  fingers  and  toes,  and  I  was  assured 
that  the  largest  number  they  could  reckon  was  twenty.  At  the 
expiration  of  ten  days'  work,  for  instance,  an  Indian  who  wished  to 
settle  with  the  feitor  would  go  to  him  and  count  off  templdn,  day, 
ten  times  on  the  fingers.     In  the  examples  above  given  there  is 


*  The  Tupis  count  only  to  three ;  for  higher  numbers  they  use  the  Portu- 
guese. 


)  u 


hu-Vu' 


ij-VO 


l-VU 


mds  with  that 

d  the  word  ]iu- 

ro  stran,t,''o,  yet 

wiens,  and  'nlt- 

somo  mistake 

some  one  else 

s  the  dual  was 

case  of  Kttom 

Their  only 
ler,  single,  and 
!pt  an  acconnt 
'.  was  assured 
jnty.  At  the 
who  wished  to 
templdn,  day, 
given  there  is 

y  use  the  Portu- 


ON  Tin:  noTocrnos. 


005 


a  ttTinination  whicli  si;j;iiiii('s  two,  and  wliitli  answers  to  a  (hud. 
'I'hu  .sultject  is  oneof  nim'h  intorost,  ami  I  roLcret  much  that  during,' 
)uy  stay  in  the  Miicury  1  was  iinal)le  to  i^^ive  it  more  study.  Vou 
'rschiidi  gives  numerals  \\\)  to  ten,  wiiich  he  olttainod  from  a  Nak- 
nemdc  through  the  aid  of  an  Indian  soldier;  hut  he  himself  ex- 
presses a  douht  as  to  the  veracity  of  his  interpreter. 

There  are  in  the  Botocudo  language  two  cases,  a  nominative 
and  an  olyective.  The  latter  is  marked  l)y  the  syllable  te  (ti  or 
de)  between  two  substantives  coming  together  and  governing  (piio 
another  ((Jottling  quoted  by  Neuwied) ;  thus,  Tarii  means  vi'^on, 
but  also  stm,  sky,  and  time  ;  Taru-ti-p6,  literally,  shy-runner. 

The  adjective  always  fjUows  the  substiuitive,  as  cnidTi-ciuhi'i,  the 
small  ant-eater.  Xeuw'ed  says  that  the  comparative  is  formed 
by  adding  the  terminatioii  urit/iu,  and  the  superlative  by  the  addi- 
tion of  the  adverb  r/icarnm,  iis  caang-vinh,  the  stomach  is  empty, 
cuanri-mah-f/icaram.*  The  only  pronouns  we  know  ai-e  Kjickzzz.  /, 
and  lid  =  he,  she,  or  it.  We  have  KJnch  for  my,  which,  by  the 
way,  may  be  used  before  the  noun  it  (pialifies,  as  KJick  kjack 
ma(jndn-jo(>p,  but  Neuwied  says  that  his  Botocudo  Quack  used 
Kjick  as  well  as  Kjuck.  So  far  as  the  verb  is  concerned  it  seems 
to  be  very  simple  in  its  construction,  and  to  have  only  two  foi'ms ; 
namely,  infinitive  and  participle.  The  third  person  singular  pres- 
ent is  formed  by  prefixing  to  the  verb  he,  het,  or  simply  a,  which 
appear  to  be  only  different  forms  of  the  third  person  singular 
present  of  the  verb  to  he.  We  at  present  know  too  little  of  the 
language  to  speak  at  all  positively  about  other  points  in  its  con- 
struction. 

Prince  Max.  zu  Neuwied  gives  in  the  second  volume  of  his 
lieise  a  German-Botocudo  vocabulary  of  several  hundred  words. 
Latham  {Elements  of  Comparative  Philology,  p.  509)  gives  four 
short  vocabularies,  and  Von  Tschudi  (lieiseu  durch  Brasilien,  Vol. 
II.  p.  288)  has  another  short  vocabulary.    Other  vocabularies  have 

*  I  slioukl  hardly  call  this  a  superlative. 


60G 


APFEXDIX. 


been  collated  by  Guido  Marliere,  Von  Eschwctrc,  Jomard,  Renault, 
Von  Martins,  St.  Hilaire,  D'Urbigny,  and  others.  Xeuwiod's  is 
prei^ared  Avith  great  care,  and  be  bad  the  advantage  of  long  inter- 
course with  a  lad,  whom  bo  retained  in  bis  employ.  Von  Tscbudi's 
was  bastily  written  witb  tbe  aid  of  an  Indian  interpi'eter,  and  tbc 
sounds  are  veiy  imperfectly  represented,  a  soft  ch  or  zh  sound 
being  re[)resented  by  tbe  German  Kch,  ie.  I  do  nut  know  wberc 
Latbam's  vocalndaries  were  collected.  Tbcy  are  very  inaccurate. 
Wbile  at  Sao  ^bitbeos  I  spent  a  long  time  witb  a  young  Botocudo, 
"wbo  spoke  Portuguese,  and  collected  (|uite  a  vocabulaiy,  using  a 
pbonetie  alphabet  of  my  own,  by  whicli,  witb  an  ear  accustomed 
to  tbe  pronunciation  of  many  languages,  1  tbink  I  bave  b^en  able 
to  express  vcr}'  nearly  tbe  true  pronunciation  of  tbe  words.  Tbe 
pi'onunciation  is  exceedingly  indistinct,  and  ibe  woi'ds  are  very 
hard  to  catch.  Tbc  stu})idity  of  my  pioidii  was  discouraging,  and 
the  labor  of  getting  together  the  vocabulary  was  very  great. 

This  vocabulary  is  too  voluminous  to  be  inserted  in  this  volume. 
I  hope  to  publish  it  elsewhere. 

The  language  is  usually  spoken  on  a  high  key,  but  in  a  weak 
tone  and  rather  rapidly.  It  is  particularly  rich  hi  nasals,  but  has 
neither  gutturals  nor  sibilants. 

The  sounds  of  s  and  z  do  not  occur  in  it,  nor  those  of  /  and  x. 
I  have  obscn-ed  tbc  sound  of  v  only  in  the  dual  termination 
-cho-vo.  In  many  cases  it  is  impossible  to  distinguish  between 
I  and  r. 


)mard,  Renault, 
XouwR'd's  is 
J  of  louLj  inter- 
Vou  Tscluidi's 
•preter,  and  the 
ch  or  zh  sound 
:ot  kut)\v  where 
•cry  iuaecurato. 
uung  Ijotocudo, 
l)uliiry,  using  a 
.-ar  accustomed 
have  1  en  able 
10  words.  The 
voi'ds  are  very 
scouraging,  and 
rv  great, 
in  this  volume. 

but  in  a  weak 
nasals,  but  has 

5S0  of  f  and  x. 

*■' 

al  termination 
guisli  between 


INDEX. 


Ahacjixi  pinp-npplp,  131. 

Abrnlliiis  l>liiiii|.v,  dt'rivation  of  nanio  ;  ilanpor 
iu  li;i,ssiiit£,  171:  .Mtuation  of,  175:  jrcdU^y 
of,  li.")-  17'.t  :  cie|itli  of  w:itcr  in  vicinity  of 
1U2  :  I'onil  reefs  of,  102  -  1,1'J  :  ii:ivig:il,lf  chim- 
ncl  iiisiili'  of,  2nl. 

Ai-riiiti'iiiiUri-itB)iizilinisis  Vorr.,  02 :  dcscrilicil 
Ul;"),  205. 

Aj;iiria<i  Aifitriniu.s  Edw.  iind  Hiiimc,  (;2,  195. 

A,':is>iz,  I'rof  Louis,  on  jrl.icicr  of  l':ic;itubu, 
•iti'J  :  on  till'  ,-tnicturu  of  tlie 


Ant.i  a  pest  nn  tlio  Ilha  do  Govornador,  5. 

Ant-hill.-,  82,  ;i75. 

Antiuionv,  44S. 

Ai,li/si,t  Ar:;,,  U'Oi-li,  21)4,  214,  2.'!il 

Aiiliisin  Ilruzilinisis  S^iiidci'  l{;inf:,  2ii4. 

Ai)nitiMiiicdicli;it.M,><,    custom   of   piercint;   till' 

li|i  and  c,-irs  lunonr;,  5n4. 
Anicajii  (citv),  ;jsl,  ,'jS,'i. 
Aniciire,  fos.silifcrcrii.-i  slmlcs,  &c.  of,  .391!. 
Aracaty,  4i;il  ;  coinitry  in  vicinitv  of,  41II 
Araiiaiis,  trilic  of.  5!i;i. 

Aranlia  caranniicjcira  {Mui;f,/f)  of  Alirolh..^. 
ISl  I,  ' 


(Jrjrtm  .Mouu 
tains,  15  :  on  the  Aiiiazoniaii  s:ind.stoia'S,487.     Aran  (  Rsiitnriis  iiuiron).  it5 
A,.;assiz,  .M;idainc,  4tj'J.  .......  ,     ,  .  "     ' 

Ai^Mssi-        r.  .\.  !•;.,  on  tlic  former  connection 
Mie  Athmtie  and  I'iicific  across  the 
■hi.iu-  of  l):irien,  3L»3. 


nihas,  151. 

n:ime  jriven  to  Western  Sorgipe,  379. 
or  AiiulMiri's,  577 
11  (Aslriiairi/in/i),  94,  210,  208. 
-■r,  29,s. 
,  general  description  of  province  of, 


A„'oa, 
A:;re 
AiM' 
Air 
Ala; 
Al:i-, 
422, 
Alcoliaca,  224. 
Aldea  Vellia,  85. 

Allen,  Mr.  .1.  A.,  275,  295,  S'^l  :  notes  on  the 

geolodeal  clianicter  of  the  coinitrv  liefween 

C'hiiiue-Cliinni'  iind  li;iliia,  3n9-318  ;  on  s;tlt 

dei»isit  of  .S,'io  Fr:incisc<i  V.illey,  331. 

Alluvial  lands  on  Hio  I'ardo,  fertility  uf,  243; 

not  proper  for  colVee,  245. 
Alto  dos  Bois,  excursion  to,  142. 
Alum,  471. 

Aniazi  a:is,  derivation  of  n:ime,  4S4. 
Ani;izoiii:in   form:ition  descrilieit  tiv  Professor 
A^:issiz  and  M;ijor  Coutinho,  4^8;   Prof.  .^j;. 
assiz's  theory  of  the,  4."):  |ivol)ably  iiiariue 
and  tertiary,  491 ;  of  I'.in'i.  4!tl. 
Aniazoniim  ^rroup,  cretiiceous,  550. 
Amethysts,  471,  530. 
Amiiinthus,  471, 
Aininoiiiln),  3S4. 

AiNnidiiitfS  ncKlnrarinntus  Phumnrd,  .3S9 ;  A. 
Gihhoiiiiinus  l.cii,  389,   A.  Hnllii  Meek  and 
Ila.v.len,  38S:  A    P'nnvrr)i».s  Von  liueh,38y ; 
A.  sniiistriatii.s  O'Orh,,  ;j89. 
A))ii  nUnria,  egf^s  of,  47. 
Ann;xd:doid,  530. 
Aniviuilium  ncciilftitnle,  405. 
Aiiiiiirlii/tfS,  occurrence  of,  on  Isthmus  of  Pan- 
ama, 392, 
Anchieta,  letter  on  Manati,  75. 
Anjiieo,  liark  of,  used  in  tanning,  411. 
Aning;i,  395. 

.\ntii  (Tn/'iriis  Amfn'cnn)'^)^  94 
Antitloii  Diibenii  or  A.  Briniliensis,  62. 


Arar;(it,-igualia  {Arum  macaw,  iia  stone,  i:iiii'„i 
eat,  locality  so  c-ijli'il  from  a  stone  whicli  the 
p:irrots  are  s!iid  to  e;it),  510, 

.Vnit  1  limd  cnili,  23!i. 

.■Vn'Mles  gold-niin<',  545. 

Aricuri  p,-ilm  (  Cocos  srJiiznp/njlln),  2.37. 

Armacao,  40. 

Armii(,;,io,  locality,  40 ;  a  trying-Iiouso,  182,  l'!3, 
I      184, 
I  Arms  of  Botoeudos,  590. 

Aroeir.a    Sr/ihiii.^  hnhinlhiMiii^),  423. 
j  Arraial   d,i  ('hapadi,  gold-wa.-hinu's  of,  4:'7; 
i       their  present  condition,  101  ;  da  ('onceic,-io. 
I      498  ;  d:i  Conquista,  255  :  dTtinga  (  Vi,'  or  /ni 
water,  and  linnd  white),   105  :  ,|.'i>  (^ueiina- 
d:is,  want  of  rain,  323  :  de  Sao  (ionralo,  475 
Arroio  ilos  K:itos.  co;il-miiies  of,  .520. 
.\rrows  of  Hotocudos,  591. 
Arsenic:il  (lyrites,  .540, 

Article,  detinite,  use  of  before  names  nf  places 
in  lirtizil,  i.x  :  u-e  of  before  n;une  lirazii,  viii. 
ArtarnriiKs  Hrazilimsis  Uom.,  245. 
As  Azeites,  II5. 

Atpi'lor/iipir/iifs  Cnmptnni,  iCu^  408. 
.\ssahi  (Eiitfr/ifi  oleracea),  426. 
Assii  (town),  452. 
Aslroriiryinii  Ain  Mart.,  210 
-Vs  Trovoadas,  144 
Alilex,  2W0, 

Atf/,s  lii/jiiixniii/iiis,  95. 
Attii/in  |i:ilm,  144 
Augite,  297. 
Ave-Lallemant,    Dr.,  on    ooal-uiines    of  Rio 

Grande  i|o  Sul,  52o. 
Avicenniii,  social  plant,  250. 


B. 

IJahi.T,  description  of  point  on  which  city  is 
built.  ;i33  ;  description  of  citv,  .3,34  ;  climate 
of,  ,337:  iioimbition,  ;{.35:  lay'aml  harbor  of, 
3.W  :  exports  of,  ;«5,  3.30  ;  st.'junshiii  con- 
nections, ;i37:  liahia  de  Todos  os  Siiatos, 
207  ;  compared  with  Hay  of  Itio,  272. 


G08 


INDEX. 


Uiiliiii  Stoam  Navinntion  Cc,  ,337,  421. 

Baliiii  ami  .-'iU)  Kraui'isco  Uaili'Dad,  338  ;  gcol- 

o^'y  of,  3.')3. 
Haliia  lie  CaiiiaiiKi  dcscribi'd,  2(12. 
Italiiii  lie  Kspiritn  Saiitii  ilcscniH'J,  C") ;  ilcpth 

iif,  72  ;  liltiiral  tUuiia  (if,  73 
lialiia  ill'  Nova  Aliiiciila,  b5. 
lialiia  (If  Santa  Ci'ii/,,  bo. 
lialiian  ^'nui)',  iViii. 

lialiii,  iMilatnl  liills  or  guuiHs  plain  at,  303. 
llakiirs,  trihr  >:{,  nWi. 
liaiiil.uu,  S4,  HI,  210. 
BiiriiiiiKi   (Mclauuxylou),  ashes  used  in  tiin- 

iiiii;:,  411. 
liailiaiTiia,  4. 

li.irliacciia,  Vi.-;eonil('  do,  519. 
liailaii.'j,  4-')2;  uii  luouth  of  Kio  Paraliyba  do 

Nuitc,  442. 
]<aniarl<'S,  73. 
H.ui-a  do  .lardiui,  405. 
liarra  do  t'lumiiaiidatuba,  colony  at,  246. 
Jiana  do  Kio  dc  t'ontas,  200. 
liarra  ilo  I'atifii',  241. 
liarra  do  I'o.xiui,  241. 
Darra  do  Kio  (Jrande,  width  of  S.lo  Francisco 

vallry  l.clow,  ;i32 
Barra  do  Kio  di'  .Sao  Franci(«'o,  303. 
liarra  da  \arrda,  country  in  vicinity  of,  252. 
Barra  .S'cca,  lUtj;  lands  at,  107  ;  consolidated 

licach,  107. 
liarrcira>  do  .'^iri,  tertiary  beds  of  56. 
Barrel  quartz  at  .Minas  Nova.s,  15(. 
Iiarrifiiido  trees,  !M,  106,  251. 
Barro  vcrnielho,  514. 
Basin  of  Kio  I'arnaliytia  one  pidod,  474. 
Bateia,  wooden  pan  for  washint;  S'>i*i  "ftl  ^^^' 

nioiiiH,  I'iO. 
BatcH's   ''Tlie  Naturalist  on  the  Amazonas," 

4114. 
Beach  rid};es,  113, 114,  115,  123  ;  formation  of, 

due  .sonictinies  to  storms,  220. 
Beach,  raised,  at  .Santos,  507. 
licaclu's,  solidification  of,  at  Bahia,  342:  at 

Kio  Vcrnielho,  344  ;  at  the  Abrolhos,  17'J. 
Heachcs  .solidilicd,  181). 
Bat  I!  rite,  400. 

Bats,  liones  of,  in  caves  at  Lagoa  Santa,  285. 
Bail  hi  II  id,  25tl. 
Bay  of  Kio,  dcscrijition  of,  6;  depth,  7;  sliell 

deposits  of,  7  I  corals  of,  7 ;  tide  of,  7.  S  ; 

saltne.«s  of,  S  ;  entrance  to,   8  ;  ouce  filled 

with  tertiarv  beds,  22. 
Beans,  12(1,  iril 
Bcira-mar,  45i). 
Belnionte,  173  ;  sand  plain  near,  how  formed, 

2.35. 
Benidcfin  nieteorolite,  325. 
Benevente,  harbor  of,  &c.,  00. 
Bi^iiniiin  Bmzilif litis,  93;  B.  Tecoma,  408; 

species  if,  social  plant,  256. 
Biotitc,  447 

Birds,  bones  of,  in  caves  at  Lagoa  Santa,  285. 
Bisnuith,  occiirrcnco  of  in  auriferous  vein  at 

Cata  Br.mca,  545- 
Black  water  streams,  Kl,  217,  227. 
Bluniciib  ich  on  skull  of  Botocudo,  587. 
Boa.ssica,  cretaceous  sandstone  at,  derivation 

of  name,  3!W, 
Boa  Vista,  height  of  pass  of,  12,  26. 
Bolcrio,  141. 

Bom  Kim,  cretaceous  strata  of,  346. 
Bone  of  whale  valuable  for  manure,  184 


Brines,  fo.nsil,  in  caves,  mode  of  occurroncp  of, 
2^4;  inimen.-e  number  of  recent  siiecies,  2>>5. 

Bone  caverns,  extent  of,  liow  fornieil,  stal.ic- 
tites  and  clav  d^■pllsit.^  in,  'lb'6  ]  nuuiljer  of, 
2S4  ;  of  Kio  das  Velhas,  280. 

]!iidiii|Ue,  578. 

Bore  or  I'ororiica,  4.80. 

liotocudos,  210,  577;  origin  of  name,  578; 
stature  iif,  5T8  ;  physical  characteristics  of, 
579:  nunilier  of,  5'.Ci ,  livelinos  of,  012, 
skulls  of,  5S.):  colorof,  588,  di.-.|ikeiif  cloili- 
ing  among,  59il:  hiiiisc,>  of,  o'.Mi  ;  tbod  of, 
500  ;  method  of  making  lire,  507  :  cruelty  of, 
598  :  treatment  of  wives  and  children,  ;')9S  , 
religions  ideas  of,  599  ;  fnnenil  cu.-toiiis,  500  ; 
want  of  numerals,  004;  warfare  of,  OUO;  lan- 
guage of,  ti02  :  Butonue,  or  lip  and  ear  orna- 
nieiit,  578,  583. 

Boulders,  scarcity  of  in  drift,  24;  occurrence 
of,  at  'I'ijuca,  28-30;  paucity  of,  owing  to 
decomposition,  573  ;  boulders  of  decomposi- 
tion, 504  ;  at  Victoria,  how  formed,  09. 

Bows  of  Botocudo,  501. 

Braco  do  Norte  of  Uiver  S.'io  Matheos,  11". 

liraij'o  do  8ul  of  Rio  ."^ao  Matheos,  117 

Brachiopods,  paUeozoic,  at  first  cachoeira  of 
the  Kio  Taiiajiis,  488. 

Brackish  streams,  255. 

Briif/i/iiiis  triiliirtfiliis,  94 

BriKtypus  torr/iiaiiia,  94. 

liraganza,  waste  of  land  on  bay  of,  4P1. 

Brazil,  deri\«tion  of  nume,  x;  use  of  article 
before  the  word,  viii. 

Bromeliaceous  jilants,  249,  250 

Brnnct,  Dr.,  272,  421 

Bugres,  .578. 

liuriti  (lalni  {Matirilia  rinifern),  277. 

Burning  of  forest,  injurious  effects  of,  78; 
change  of  Mora  caused  by,  423. 

Burton,  27(i ;  on  use  of  definite  article  before 
word  linizil,  viii:  on  .lacutinga,  .5.35:  on 
occtirrcnce  of  cocoa  palm  at  Brejo  do  tjalga- 
do,  119. 

Byrsouuma,  405. 


Cabbage  palm,  94. 

Caliral,  discovery  of  Brazil,  226. 

CacAo  [Theobroma  Caccin),  120,230,244,259, 

200,201. 
Cnritofiros,  cac'io  plantations,  244. 
CachiM'ira  (Town),  272 

Cachoeira  (Bahia),  county  in  vicinity  of,  322. 
(!achoeiras,  21. 
('ac('i|  sugary  quartz,  5.34. 
Cacti,  237  :  arlHircscent,  152. 
Cn^tld  whale,  182. 
Caiauhe  (  Elrris  Guineensis  L.),  270 
Caititu,  !t4. 

Cajii  or  Cashew,  459,  405. 
Cajueira  (Aiinrardium  occidentale),  116. 
rn//ulliiiii,2'id. 
Cnlnmitea,  525 

Cnldinnplpiinis  ei/linrln'nis,  408. 
Caldciroes,314  ,  otiirobable  glacial  origin,. 315  , 

mastodon  remains  at,  325;  occurrence  of 

diamonds  in,  307. 
Calh.'io,  1,52 
Caliitlirix,  95,  286. 
Camamii,  geology  of,  202. 
Camajjsari,  geology  of  vicinity  of,  361. 


INDi:X. 


liUl 


rwlc  of  oopurr''»ipp  of, 
III'  recent  spi>('ic.<,  2Sj. 
Iiiiw  tnriiieil,  M.'ihic- 
iii,  "2^3  ;  miiiiber  nl', 
.  USO. 


•ipin  of  iiainc,  578; 
til  oli:iractci'i>tic.s  of, 
,  livcliiios    (if,    (il2 , 

r.SS.  ili.-liku  of  clot  li- 
es of,  iV.M)  ;  fooil  of, 
ttirc,  r/j;  :  cruelty  of, 
■s  iiiul  chililreii,  oDS  , 
funeral  cui-toihs,  ;V,)',) ; 

warfare  of,  (iOli;  lan- 
•,  or  liji  and  ear  orna- 

Jrift,  24 ;  oocurrenco 
)iaiicitj-  of,  owin^  to 
millers  of  decouipo.si- 
how  formed,  Uy. 

S'lO  JIatlicos,  117. 

Matlu'os,  117 

at  tirsit  cuchovira  of 


in  baj'  of,  -IPl. 

lie,  X  ;  use  of  article 


3,250 


ni/frn),  277. 
rious    effects  of,   78 ; 
In.  423. 

lefinite  article  before 

Jacutinsra,  o.T) ;  on 

Im  at  Dreju  do  Salga- 


i  1,220. 

.,  120,236,244,259, 

ions,  244. 

in  vicinity  of,  322. 

.52. 

15  L.),  270 


i(lentale),  IIC. 


5,  408. 

e)rUu'ialoriKin,315, 
325 ;  occurrence  of 


iuity  of,  3G1. 


Canipina.s,  plain.^  of.  .'00- 

(Jai  .po,  .section  at,  3G5, 

Cauiiio.s,  city  of,  4() ;  vicinity  of,  47. 

Ca-iipos,  cliaracter  of  tlieirtloru;  larccly  due 
to  fires,  320. 

(Campos  of  Alto  dos  IViis,  140 

Campos,  Mais's  picture  of,  2110. 

Canal  nnitinn  Macalie  with  Cainpofi,  43:  be- 
tween I'ainiavieiras  and  Coniniaii.latulia, 
240;  lietween  JUo  Doce  ,and  \  ictori.i  iui- 
jiracticable,  Sl» ;  coiiiiectiiif;  Itio  ,lecii  with 
Vi(  tori.i,  04  ,  projected  along  coast  south  of 
Ca  rave  lias,  223. 

Candles  of  Carnahulia  w.nx,  453. 

Ciiniliinn  cauilidd  Miill.,  3JS. 

Can;;;i,  t;old  in,  530,  543. 

Cannihalisni  ani(.nj;  liotocudo.s,  O'X). 

('ansanc^'iLo  (J/itrojiliii  iirnif),  250. 

('.■iiitanallo,  olil  (<old-niiiies  at,  50. 

Canon  of  the  .lenuitinlionlia,  103. 

Ca(ie  Ki-io,  .30  ;  liei.;:lit  of,  .'!!). 

Cajiihara  {Hi/i/rarh,/ riis  Cn/jrihitni],  94. 

Capiliara,  fossil  [Hydrudiarus  suUidtns),  2S7. 

Idl'Di.s,  l40,  J47. 

Carapato  (/.r»(/ei-  ricinus),  153,  155,  257 

Carapina,  82. 

Canivellas,  223. 

Carboniferous  in  Brazil,  553;  fo.«sils,  occur- 
rence of,  on  (iuaiioiti  and  Maniore  4^S. 

Cariocar,  2'Jl,  4i;.5. 

Carnaileiras,  fever  of  Upper  Sao  Francisco,  202. 

Carnalmba  iiahn  {('o/jn-niria  rfrifirii),  de- 
scription of,  452,  440,  45'J,  400,  401 ;  wax  of, 
453. 

Carnirora  more  abundant  in  Post  Tertiary 
than  at  p-v.sent,  288. 

Carnelian,  531 

Carrasco,  147,  253,  429. 

Ca.scallio,  nieaniiif;  of  woril,  .51  ;  auriferous, 
of  Mina.s  Nova  region,  15'J  ;  auriferous,  at 
.laragn;i,512. 

Cascate  (ininde,  27 

Ca.tsis  Mnilrmnsrnrifiisis  {C.  CdWfo),  at  Os 
Husios,  ;J0,  108,  20.3 

Castelnau,  400,  ,501,  504:  on  chapada  dianian- 
tina,  .307;  on  whale  fishery  at  liaiiia,  1><5. 

Cata  Itninca  gold-mines,  544  ,  aiu'ifcrous  vein 
at,  545. 

Cating.a  do  I^orco  (tree),  iishes  u.^ed  in  tanning, 
411. 

Catiirnas,  144,  151,  250,  251,  200.  .322,  452. 

Cattle  ami  cattle  fizeiidas  in  I'rovinco  of  Itio 
firandc  ilo  Norte,  454. 

Cavia  (  f  Vr'oi,f(i//.\-  rii/nstris),  257;  bones  of,  in 
caves,  2S5. 

Caxiniba  Nova,  440. 

Cnxoeira  do  .\ngelini,  108  ;  do  Campo,  hone 
caves  at,  281,  285;  de  Donna,  107,  da  Ka- 
rinha,  10,8  ;  do  Tnferno,  88,  ItiO. 

Caxoeirinha  ilo  .Ii'i|uifiiihoiiha,  171. 

Ctu'hoeira  dc  Paulo  .\lfonso,  dist.-mce  from  the 
sea,  Il.itfeld's  description  of,  414;  Liais  on, 
415,  418 ,  comp.'ired  witli  those  of  S.alto 
Grande  on  the  .lei|nifinhonha,  417  ;  liurton 
on,  41'> ;  conipareil  with  Niagara,  418. 

raxiM'irinha  do  Uio  Pardo,  242 

('.■ixo<'ira  de  Santa  Anna,  lOli. 

Cazal,  220,  4.311,  48(i .  on  inastodon  remains, 
201  :  on  foscil  bones,  280 

Cebns,  05. 

rVrrn|)iV(,  04  ;  social  plant,  25G. 

Cedro  cedrela,  04,  201,  450. 
'iS* 


Cemeterin  of  the  Abrollios,  1^0 

(Centipede,  375. 

Ctniiitfs  H(iri/ii,S-%;  C.  (Amvt.)  Pierdenalis 

Von  liuch,  3>5H. 
r-rMM-,250,  20(i,  407,  423. 
Ciritkiinn,  220. 
CtrrKS,  05. 
Cirrus  riijiis,  fos.sil  with  megatherium,  &c  . 

280. 
Onus  sinijilirirarnis  found  with  nieg.itheri 

iiin,  &(■.,  2S0. 
('i.sii'/iiiiit  niiiiintd,  04. 
Chalcciloii.v ,  ,531 
i'lidiiin,  220 
(,'handless,  5iiO,  ,5li3;  discovery  of  .Mosasanri 

an  and  turtle  ren:ains  on  the  Pin-i'.s,  404 
Chap.ida,  meaning  of  term,  132;  at  .Agiia  d.i 
Ni'va,  140,  150;  magnilicent  view  from  edgi> 
of,  1,50. 
Chapada  Diamantina,  geology  of,  205;  height 
of.  3lil  ;  da  Mang.ileir!!,  407;  at  .Santa  Kita, 
141;  do  Sincor.i,  3iiO  ;  between  Sncuriii  and 
Agna  Suja,  lo3. 
Cliap.id.is  of  Pi.iidiy.   474;   of  liio  ,Ie()iiifin- 
lionha,  105,  lO.S  ;  of  Kio  de  Sao  Kniiicisco, 
277.  201  ;   between  the  bains  of  tlie  Tociin- 
tins  atid  S.ao  Francisco,  4.  :i. 
('hapadao  de  .Santa  .Mari.i,  400.  do  L'rucuia, 

400. 
Chapeiroes,  211,  212,  213  ;  ilangcrous  to  navi- 
gation, 2iil;  (listribniii.ii  of,  211;  modi.  ./ 
growtli  of,  100;  coalescence  to  form   reef.-, 
2110  ;  appearance  of,  2oo 
Charruas,  custom  of  pien  ing  lip  and  ears,  584 
a^loiiio  Mi/dns,  112,  113. 
Chii'fs,  P.otocudo,  502. 

<'hii|ue-('hi(jne,  cactus,  408;    town,  origin  <f 
name,  3ii0;   occurrence  of  diaUitud.s  neai, 
307 
C'l'iiinydiitliirium,  280. 
<'hU.nt<',328. 
ChlO'ile  slate,  200. 
Chron.e  1,'Cidities  in  Goyaz,  503. 
Ciiliiris,  S.'^C. 

C/diliiri/r/iis  Gnrdmri,  408. 
Claussi'ii,  Mr.,  2M. 
Cla\s  of  .Amazonian  formation,  488. 
Clays  of  Tertiary,  57.  124.  225. 
Clay-eating  among  liotocudos  and  Brazilian.', 

5S1. 
Clay-slat.',  151,  20S,  328,  401,  .5(10;  auriferous, 

distribution  of,  ,5.52 
Clay-slates,  auriferous,  of  Brazil,  resemblance 
liorn  ■  to  the  gold-bearing  rocks  nf  Nnva 
Scotia,  ,551;  probably  l.ouer  Siliu'ian,  5.'1  ; 
auriferous  veins  in,5,'i! ;  ali.'ence  ipf,  in  eozoic 
of  Brazil,  540. 
Climate  of  campos,  253.  of  Ceara,  4,58;  nioist- 
ness  of,  dc'pendent  on  forests,  321  ;  of  Co- 
Inula  i.,ecipoldina,  nnlualtbiness  <if,  217: 
of  Kerii.ando  de  Nfironha,  430;  of  .Maran- 
hao,  4.'<5  ;  of  Kio  (irande  do  Norte,  454; 
of  S.'io  Fraticisco  below  falls,  420;  of  per- 
nambiico,  420,  id'  Kio  Doce,  OS;  of  Bio 
(iranile  do  Norte,  441;  of  Lower  Sao  Fran- 
cisco, 4211 
Coal,  Candiota,  report  on,  by  Mr.  flinty,  528  , 
facilities  for  nnning  in  Kio  (irande "do  Sul. 
520;  cost  of,  527;  sjiid  to  occur  on  llio 
Piauhy,3.80 
Coal  Basin  on  Bin  .laeuaby.  5.311;  on  Rio  Sfio 
Sepe,  520  ;  of  Kio  Tub^rao,  510 

MM 


CIO 


INDEX. 


IViiil-niinos  of  lUo  Oranilc  i!o  Sul,  Uisoovory 
(if,  ."jI'J. 

(■(M-liiin.al,  .lliS,  454. 

Ci'iMKi  I'iilui  {)'iii(is  iiiirifirii),  distribution  of, 
&<•.,  lis,  -JW  tiTl,  4:J1,  4;dT  ;  oil  of,  23s. 

C<irij.i  cdraiKilii  .Miirt.,  'J'.IS  ;  ('.Jltjriio.su,  14'3 ; 
('.  niiei/ini,  (li.-tfiliiitiou  of,  &i'.,  118;  C. 
srhiziijiliiiHit ,  'So' ,  "ill"'. 

Come,  ?,<,lul,  lz;j,  241,  2ijl,  2t:o,_4.")'.) ;  oxport 
(■f.  IVoiii  Hii.iia  fur  \\-,w  I8ti4- twj,  .'>j(i ;   |il,!ii- 
t:i'iiiu  iif  (  Miiiiiiiia-,  "ill  ;  of  tin;  C'uloiiiii  Ia'o-  i 
)ioliliii;i,  cxrcllcnci'  of,  21".  | 

ro;iiiii;i  .lu  iliiMiiilu,  1)11;   LcopolUiua,  217:  do  , 
Miicury.  Iiistory  :inil  present  state  of,   131;  j 
lie  Siii'ta   l.eoiiolililia,   7S  ;    poViTt.v    of  soil,  I 
7U  ;  -le  Saiitii  Isaliel,fi5;  ile  .S.iiita  .Maria,  7il; 
de  .'"anta  'I'lieresa,  .'jlS  ;  ilo  I'nicu,  pi-oilue- 
tiolis,  climate,  seeiieiy,  ite.,  V.l'.',. 

Colony,  .Xnierii'an,  on  .leiiuitiiilioiilia,  172  ;  on 
Kio'Doee,  lilfj.  , 

Color  of  skin  ligliter  ia  forcst-dwcUiug  triljes, 
.5^S. 

CiiiiiKtiilii,  (12. 

('•'inniereio,  '.itv't. 

CoiMpass,  miner's,  .".3'1. 

Conglomerate,  242,  :iol,  4(!2  :  cretaeeous,  o'oi  ; 
tertiary  at  .V^oa  da  Nov.i,  Ijn. 

Coie.:nnlias  do  I'amiio,  ^'old  a  ,  54+. 

Criii'Kfr/iiis,  -oeial  pl.int,  25ii. 

Consi'li.lated  lieaeli  at  .\>  I'edr.as,  11.3  :  iit  I!ar- 
r.i  Seeea,  lo7  :  at  month  of  l{io  I'.iniliyba 
do  Norte,  412:  at  (iiianipary,  ij2  ;  of  I'er- 
n.imlitieo,  4:34  ;  at  tlie  i.slauds  of  tliu  Abrol- 
hos,  171J. 

Cfjiuifirii  iif/iriiifili.i,  11.3. 

Cop,.l,nid,  Mr.,  112,242. 

Copoeati.ana,  irnei-s  of,  10. 

Copi'er,  472;  bniij.u.r,  foinid  near  Caehoeira, 
,3110;  Idealities  for,  in  I'razil,  .3U0  ;  sulphate 
and  other  suits  of,  tSS.  j 

(orals  at  Itamar.ie.i,  137  :  dead,  near  Kin  Stmt'  ^ 
Anteiiio,  2.'!4  :  distrilmtion  of  on  sulimeriied 
bolder  of  Keeife  do  LLko,  21u  ;  used  for  uiun- 
iifaetnrinv;  into  linu',  213. 

Cor.al  lianUs  near  lllia  It.ip.ariea,  2'\\)  :  in  Bay 
i.f  I'amamii,  2(J5  ;  dead,  in  Lagoa  near  llliOos, 
2.-,;(.  ■  1 

;  or.al  inlands,  211,  212.  ' 

Ci.ral  reefs,  lieis-'lit  of  (.,Ip>  of,  1(9  :  in  vieinity 
of  I'ern.imbueo,  214:  ne.ir  t'.imanu'i,  213; 
around  (ini<'ppe  Island,  213;  of  .^lirolho-^, 
1^7:ofl'eriiambueo,  1S,S  ;  ,,fMaia.in,  1S><,21;J, 
425  :  near  Cape  Sao  i!o((ne,  I'^S  ;  nf  lt(ieea<, 
214  ;  olT  l'eri|ieri,213  ;  of  Santa  liarbara  dos 
Abrolho",  T.(2  ;  species  tliat  eoiitribnte  mo.-t 
to  Imild  up.  214  :  raised  border  to,  composeil 
of  barnacles,  -^erpuliv,  &c.,  205  ;  submer^red 
bnrderof,  205. 

('..rcovado,  di  scviptiou  of,  0;  maguificencu  of 
view  from,  11.  I 

Corn,  1.52. 

Coroa  Verinelha,  211. 
f\.ii,niilii,  112. 

(  orrei'o  ill'  Santo  iL'naoio,  dianinnds  in,  307. 

<'oti'.;-i;   •,  <'retr,'e(ins  i  "clis  at,  35'J. 

t'l.riiiiiiiiban  trrouii  55>!. 

Cotton,  225,  :W.  441,  442,  443,  459,  4Sfi:  of 
(_'alh;io,  excellent  i|Uality  nf,  152  ;  of  l'(>r- 
ii.inibuoo,  (|uality  of,  431  :  of  Kio  (irande  do 
Norto,  4.52  :  value  of,  exported  from  Hahiii 
durinir  ye.'ir  lSi;4  -  (;5.  33(i ;  fact<iry ,  2(j(j. 

Crab.;,  burrows  made  bv,  in  shales,  353. 


Crnthcus,  457. 
Crato,  4(JU,  •4b3. 

('lllj\  'Jo. 

Cretaceous,  of  .\brollios,  175;  of  Mnnsorrato 
and  vicinity  of  li;iliia,  34(1;  beds  at  lialiia 
of  tresh-wa(er  ori;iin,  li>  ;  soil.>  of  lialiia, 
372;  near  Arae.aju,  3S3  ;  at  .Maro'iiii,  3^4; 
fossils  described,  :is5  ;  ;it  and  near  I'enedo, 
3;ti>;  limestones  at  I'ropria,  4(l4  ;  (d'ltamar- 
c.i,  437:  I'ar.iliyba  do  .Norte,  445;  fo»il 
fishes  of  Cear.i,  4(j(),  47'i ;  of  I'urus,  4'J4 ; 
Ilesuiiie,  ,5.55. 

i:rtii:(iililiis  Uiirltii  Marsh.  ;i5j. 

Crustaceans,  abiimlance  of.  on  reefs  ;  list  of 
species  occurring  on  the  .Vbrollios  reefs, 
2113;  list  (jf  sjieeies  uccurrilii;  elsewhere  in 
I!razil,2ti3. 

Crjisiihu-iils,  151,  1(14. 

<'ui:il'  I,  5(10  ;  diaiiiond.s  at,  504. 

Curhnatao  (hsli),  3Jy. 

Curitiba,  517. 

Ciisniln,  375. 

Cutia  (l)(i.'ii//irortri).  04. 

Ct/jiriKi  I  .riuilki  iiKi,  4(). 

Ci//"''-'!.').!"/""'''""" ''ones.. 34^  ;  C.  cnnriilrntii 
Jones,  34i3  i  C.  (.')  Monscrr.ili  ;(.)(i  Joues,olti. 


D. 


Dance  of  Botocudos,  (JOl. 

D.irwiu  on  phosphate  incrustation  of  .\brol- 
hos,  17s ;  on  cor;ils  of  lirazii,  lo7  ;  ou  l.-.iauj 
(if  b'eriiaiido  de  Noronha,  437. 

D.ite  p.ilm,  -425. 

Davis,  Dr.  J.  liaruard,  on  skull  of  Botocudo, 
5S5. 

l)'.\rcliiac,  caiboniferous  rocks  in  Bolivia,. 554. 

De  lieaninoiit,  Elie,  on  tlie  gneiss  of  the  Serra 
do  .Mar,  .54S. 

Decomposition  of  jineiss,  24;  Darwin,  .\;;;issiz, 
l'is>i-,  lleusser,  and  Claraz  on,  24  ;  cause 
of,  25,  2(i. 

Decomposition  of  rocks  iu  India  and  North 
.\iiierica,  2(). 

Decomposition,  drift  not  referable  to,  ."''i3. 

Decoiiipii.'ied  rock  sep.arate  between  drift  and 
easily  distinL:uisheil,5(i4. 

Deer  of  Canipos,  147. 

Den. 10  (E/r/'is  f. ■;////' Mi.s(.v),  270,  425. 

Denudation,  subaerial,  elfects  of,  ;j3 

D'Orbigny  on  gneisso  of  Bolivia,  548. 

D'Oscry,  on  (lata  Branca  mine,  546. 

Destcrro,  51'J. 

Devonian  rocks  in  Brazil,  5,53. 

l)iamaiitif<'rous  rock  from  chapada,  3(]4. 

Diamantiiio.  500,  504. 

Di.amantina,  diamonds  at,  l,5(i. 

Diamonds,  discovery  of,  at  Diamantina,  150; 
mode  of  laa'UiTence  of,  at  Chap.ada  Diaman- 
tina, 3o2-.3oit;  yielil  of,  at,  31':-;,  of  Siii- 
oora,  .30() ;  of  Ct'tanira,  Baliia,  mode  of  oc- 
currence of  and  method  of  washing,  .3(5!) ; 
)irobable  source  of,  .370  ;  localities  for  in 
(fovaz,  503;  occurrence  of  iu  I'roviucu  of 
l'anna,51S. 

Diileliihiis,  H4. 

Dinosaurian  remain?,  cretaceous,  Bahia,  .'iJC 

Diorite,  2'J(i. 

Diplnria,  absence  of,  in  Brazil,  211. 
Difilntlimiiinn  inaritiinunt,  237. 

Disthene,  3"J5. 


;  of  Mnnsprrato 
1 ;  ljf(l.'<  lit  ISiiliia 
;  .-nils  (if  liiihiii, 
it  .Miiroiiii,  .'i^t ; 
111  in'iir   I'ciiidii, 

4(i4  ;  nC  Itiiiiiiir- 
>rti',   4-l.J;    ti>--il 

111   i'urus,   i'Ji  ; 


111  rci'fs  ;  list  of 

Alji'nlhds   rci'ts, 

iiiij;  t'lsowlRTu  ill 


48 ;  C.  coneidrata 


tiition  of  Abrol- 
1, 187  ;  ou  Isi.iiul 
il. 

ill  of  Uotociuli), 

s  in  rioliviii, ').'j4. 
I'iss  of  tliL'  .Surni 

).'irwin,  A^.-issiz, 
on,  24  ;  I'liusc 

iiliii  iuiil   Xurth 

iMc  to,  r,i;3. 
ttufu  drift  mill 


',  425. 

■f,  ;j;5 
i;i.r,48. 
546. 


liila,  304. 


(nmiitiiia,  W^ ; 
ipiid^i  Di.iiii/iii- 

,  ol'.'-^  .  of  ."^iii- 
1,  lrui<lr  of  (M'- 
wiishiiij;,  3i)!) ; 

n'iilitics   for  in 

iu  Province  of 


i.«,  Biiliia,  iyjj 
211. 


INDEX. 


(Ul 


'')oli)hin,  gpcrics  of,  fnunci  in  the  Ara(;uavn, 

r)02. 

Doui  I'cdro  II.,  till!  Kniiicrnr,  geological  oli.scr- 
vatiiiii.s  (if,  ','io. 

Ddiii  j'cilro  II  liuilniad,  p'oldj^'ical  dliscrva- 
tiiiiis  (111,  14 

Doni  I'cdro,  North  d'Kl-llci  Cniiiiiaiiy,  ri42. 

Drawings,  Indian,  2'.I7.  -i'Ji. 

Drift  on  runtatrallo  llaiiniad,  20  ;  of  Uio,  2.3, 
i')iil ;  at  'I'ijnca,  27  :  of  Niclm-ia,  til) ;  (in  IMiila- 
dclliliiardad,  I:i2  ;  at  .Vllddns  lidi,-,  U.'j ;  near 
Fa/.enda  da  l/ai.'ua,  14s ;  near  Caili.iu,  hjl  : 
of  Minas  Ndva  and  vicinity,  iiiddc  df  occur- 
reiKciif  ^'dld  in,  I'lO;  at  lialiia,  .■i4I  ;  once 
cdiitiniidUs  ihiwn  Id  tile  surface  of  tlic  sea, 
342;  on  r.a!ii;i  Uaili'dad.  3iiii ;  on  l.ducr  ."-.ci 
Kr.-iiici-cd.  41'.t .  df  I'eara,  4'ili ;  en  .-^ad  I'aiilo 
liaih'dad,  h">  ;  df  I'atairdiiia,  oi>  ;  Id  siinio 
(if  ar;,'iiiiicnts  td  prove  existence  of  in  lirazil, 
5d.S  :  distriliiitidii  (if  in  lirazil,  ;Vil  ;  cla_\sdt, 
totally  unlike  tlm-e  (if  the  tertiary,  iji'>>^ :  for- 
mer extellsidii  ddwii  to  level  of  sea,  572. 

Drdii^rht  in  Cear.i,  45'.). 

Dry  sea.-dii,  almndai   ■('  df  liti'  ihiriinr,  155. 

Dual  fiinn  in  I'ldtdciidd  l.niL:naL;c,  (i04. 

Dniies,  124,  :i:;2, :!!.'),. •i.'^ii,;3'^2.;)'.i4;  in  I'roviiu'o 
of  Kio  Grande  do  Morle,  455  ;  L'earJi,  158. 


K. 


Ears,  p(.'rforation  of,  by  Potocudor!,  how  p^T- 

foriued,  hX'i. 
Ear-plu};,  5."'.'J. 
Erhiiuistir  (irissisj.lii'i,  02. 
EchiiitDiiHra   Mu-liilnti   Desnr.  02,  2^.3,  214: 

nests  of,  in  rm  k  at  i-land  of  Marie  •-,  ;ji. 
Edu.ards,  I'rdf.  .V.  M.,  on  tiirlja  of  Cainaniil, 

20.3. 
E^'t,'s  df  ldi;u'erhead  turtle,  110. 
Klephants  iu  I'dst  Tertiary  in  Unzil.  2SS. 
Elevation  ofco.-ist  within  recent  times,  evidence 

of,  at  l!i(i,  35. 
Eniliaiili.'i  (  CrrojilK).  94, 
Eiiia  {KUki  Aimrininii),  140,  254. 
Enrajip   niKiraiiKiUis^  occurrence  of,   at   Uio 

jsaiit'  .Xntdiiid,  235. 
EiifrcracUmunir,  577. 
Eiitdiiiosirdid,  cretaceous,  347,  348. 
Entre  Montes  (villatrel,  411, 
Eozdic  I'dcks,  dccurrence  of  irold  in,  .532  ;  dis- 

triliutidii   (if,  in   15r;izil,  547;   of  Venezuela 

and  liiiiaiia,  5.VI, 
Enti)ior/iih/s  iiiihrirntn,  iioti.'S  on,  112, 
Eriiirniiliin,  423. 
Eriisidii,  tdpduraiiliical  features  )iroduced  hy, 

in  nidist  ami  wodded  reicidii,  318. 
Erratics,  4Sit. 

Kseadiiilias,  ('achdeira  das,  S!). 
Estreitii  on  .lei|nitinli(inlia,  100. 
Estanei.a,  (Jcdldiry  of  vicinity  uf,  379. 
Estherians,  445, 
Eu'jniin,  24!(. 
Emiirtrt   /iiiiiiilis    Edw.  and  Iliiiino,  02,  74, 

lilO,  22;». 
Exjiort*  (if  city  of  liahia  during  year  18'J4-C5, 

330,  337. 

F. 

Falls  of  P;uilo  AfTonso,  414 ;  of  Je(iuitiiihonl\a, 
170. 


Karinha,  120  ;  exportation  of,  from  Rio  de  Cou- 

tas,201. 
Farrancho,  I'i". 

Kaiiits,  a|ipareiit  iilisence  of,  41^. 
Fauna,  inarine,  (if  Itrazil,  rescnililance  to  tliat 

df  U'e-t  Indies,  I'.W. 
Fauna',  coiiiparisdn  of  liraziliau  radiate  fauna 

Willi  the  \Vest  liidi,in,  214. 
Fdi'Kl  riiiifi-rtd   \'err.,  I'.U  ;   E.  i;rin-iilit  Verr., 

I'.il  ;  E.' Iij/liiii/ii/llii,  2o7. 
Feira  da  Coik  i-i(,'a.(i,  country  in  vicinity  of,  322. 
Eitis  riinciiU>r,  ',(5,  2.S0  ;   E.  iiKurdKrn^  [),'>:    E. 

iiii^ii,  'j5  ;  E.  iKti'lnliSj  'j5  ;  E.  iintis,  2.NJ ; 

E.  I'niliijfiiiithfr,  2>>7. 
Ferns,  fussil,  of  lainliota  c(ial-miiies,  522. 
Fazelida  dd  Capilad  lir.nide,    117;  do  'I'l  nelifo 

lldiidrid  (Ktdui,  drift  in  vi(  iiiity  df,  14>  ;  at 

Escravaiiia,   inmieiise   nuuiOcr  of  hone.s  in 

cave  at,  2.V) 
Feijao  (liean-),  7!'. 
Feijij  ou  slnu  tiire  of  Serra  da  Yhiapaha,  457  ; 

(III  K'old  of  ('ear..,  472. 
Fevers  of  Uio  llm  e,  .'S  ;  of  jJ.'u)  .Matheos,  118  ; 

on  the  ,lenuiiiiilidi.ha,  cau.-u  of,  lO'J. 
Fiddle  crali,-,230. 
I  Fires,  elfect  df,  (.ii  vc-etatidn,  S3,  320,  ,375. 

Fish,  excellence  of  ISr.izili.iii,   iN'i:  fossil,  347, 
I      3.'i3,  :ij4,  355,  3.59,  371,  384,  445,  400,  477. 
Fisheries  of  lOspirito  ,-^aiito,  ricliness  of,  >!. 
Fishery  of  (laroup.i  in  .Miroihds  rej^ion,  l55. 
E/miiitailts  I'ti/r(iniiiis  Carrulliers,  524. 
Fletcher,  liev.  .1,  C,  514. 
Fold-,  reversed,  in  Ivizojc,  5.50, 
Forlies  (in  ,'^iliiri,i  of  liolivia  and  Peru,  ,552, 
Fdi-est.  luxuriance  of,  on  Uio  Ddce,  93  ;  im  Uio 

Pardo,  24.5, 
Fiiresfs,  licit  of,  coinridonoo  with  belt  of  rains, 
;      319;  Insiiif;  their  lidid,  (.'ivini;  way  to  cani- 

pds,  319  :  elfect  of  fires,  32IJ  ;  dei  oinjiosition 
\       dependent  on  forests,  320. 
'  Forf.aleza  (citv),  location  and  population  of, 

40O, 
Fossils  (foreijrnl,  carried  in  liallast,  necessity 

(if  cantidti,  209, 
Fossils  (if  ."'iluri.i  in  Bolivia  and  Peru,  5.52. 
Fossil   lidiies,  2^0,   311;  plants   of  Ahnilho-", 

170:  plants  of  ciirli(niiferous,  523;  shdls  of 

recent  species  in  reef  rock  at  Porto  Sci^iiro, 

229;  shells,  re|itilian  reiiiaius,  &c.,  in  cre- 

t,ici'.nis  of  .Mdiiserrate,  .345;    of  cret.-iceoua 

of  .Maroiiii,  ■I'^'i ;  shells  ne,ir  I'miiri  i,  404. 
F'rade  lie  MiealK',  lieiirht  df,  42:  de  Itapeine- 
i      rim,  liei,L'lit  df,  .''^  :  de  ."".hi  hcupMnld,  r,8. 
I  Francylvania,  kicatinn.  history  of,  &c,,  95. 
Freshet  (annual    of  ,"<r,o  Fmncisco.  420, 
Friirate-liird    {Tmliyjiitts  (I'jitiiiiui),  ceuietery 
]       of  the,  IN). 
Froiis,  hones  of,  in  raves,  275. 
Frnita  pao  {.Arlnrarpiix  iiirisn  .  215. 
Funerai  eustunis  of  Ih.itocudos,  5J9, 


G, 

("ialemi,  44S,  472. 

liamella  (hut-  /rf),  512. 

tiaiia  Has,  Indian  trihe,  oustoin  of  jiiercinf;  lip 
and  ear,  .584. 

Gardner  on  niythical  reef,  1S9  ;  note  on  Pi- 
ranha, 4oo  ;  Paper  on  the  Interior  of  the 
Province  of  Cear.'i,  4'''l :  prriliMlily  wronir  in 
referrini;  tin;  sandstdue  of  Piauli)  and  CearJ. 
to  the  crutact'ous,  470, 


G12 


INDEX. 


,11' 


Onrnots,  13,  21.49,  50,151. 

(iiirriitTiii,  iicur  Kio  Italjiiiiuana,  height  of,  53. 

(iiiviii,  lifi^'lit  of,  li). 

(iiizzinclli,  Si^;niini,  121). 

Gtlitsit/nis  MiiriiiiKini  Liitrcille, 229;  G.jmliis- 

tri.s  Kilwiinls,  2iJil. 
Gi'iiipiiiio,  liliick  color,  furnished  by,  58i). 
(leojfniyu,  408. 
Uerbur,  3. 

Gcniiiui  roloiiists  ftt  Pnnta  Clara,  132. 
Ciilili.-i,  lion,  (irorgc,  5S4. 
(fl!i(i;itiil  .-iirfiice.-:,  diiinirtiT  (if,  24. 
liUiciiT  of  IV.catubii,  4iiit  ;   of  the  Amazona.s,  ] 

4yi».  I 

Glacial  ii!icii.>riiciiaof  Patagonia,  558. 

(JlyiiUiili),!,  '^Wi. 

Uuci.-.s  1,  4,  y,  12,  IS,  24,  25,  4S,  5n.  52,  53, 
01,  (57,  !iti,  *J3,  lli'J,  l;j3,  KJi"),  14S,  1(15,  lliii, 
107,  liiS,  I7u,  'mI,  25i),  i:tiii,  •J.W,,  312,  313, 
322,  323,  324,  ;«S,  34o,  3oU,  372,  4o5.  445, 
44'J,  458,  4til,  402,  4tJ3,  474,  5tJU,  uUl,  64'J, 
55U. 

God,  lintocmlos,  dcstitutiou  of  belief  in,  599. 

Goitre  in  lirazil,  331). 

Gold,  207,  448,  471,  497,  503,  513:  at  Canta- 
gullo,  5U  ;  on  tlie  Kio  Man;;aiaby,  77;  on 
Jiio  do  t'a.~tello,  59;  in  diilt  at  t-uciu'iu, 
153  :  of  vicinity  of  Miiias  N(iva.<,  ancient 
method  of  workiu;;,  llJd  ;  aliiioilance  of, 
in  Minus  Nova  reirioii,  not  yet  exhausted, 
15li,  Itil  ;  lirobable  existence  of,  in  tertiary 
deiio.-its  in  llra/.il,  1()2 ;  iiimle  of  oc<urr- 
t'lice  of,  in  i'arahylia  do  Norte,  448  ;  at  Villa 
da.s  Lavras  da  Mangabeira,  4lio  ;  mines  of 
•laragiia,  513;  of  lira/.il,  i\iV  of,  532:  dis- 
tribution of,  in  13razil,  532:  uiocU'  of  oc- 
nn'renee  at  Morro  \elho,  537:  of  Mono 
Velho  invisible  in  the  ore.  541  :  mode  of  oc- 
ctirrence  of,  ut  Kossa  Grande,  542;  red,  542, 
545;  of  Gongo  .""oco,  541;  color  of,  542. 
(SeeChaji.  XVIII.) 

Gor^iii\i(i  ixracitis  Verrill,  2u9. 

Goviibcira,  47. 

Granite,  295,  500. 

Granja,  400. 

Gravhite,  l-l^,  4.58,  472,  525. 

Grazina  { I'/ia,  Ion),  180. 

Greenstone,  '.flH. 

Green  turtle,  112. 

Grisolitas,  lol. 

Guarapary,  h;irbor  of,  03. 

Guarapnava,  gold  iit.  5b3. 

(iuayana.  Tertiary  rocks  of,  493. 

Guavanni,  or  (iuainuniu  (Oin/iosoma  Guan- 
/iiiiiii),2:'>'.). 

Gullies  fornicMl  by  rains,  1,")9. 

Guriri  { Dipldt/ii-iiiiiini  manlhniim  Mart.), 
237:  a  Mu-ial  plant,  2.5(3. 

Gypsum,  471. 

II. 

IlalfcM,  414  :  on  mastodon  remains  found  near 

I'aulo  AlfoM.-'o,  418. 
Harbor   of    Ilbeos,  258;   of   Maceio,  425)  of 

I'ernambuco,  435. 
Hares,  95. 

H,/,„slran  nprrln  Verr.,  207,  213,  2(j9. 
II-;>rn»i(i.  94.  240. 
llelmrcicneii.  Dr.  Virgilio,  section  across  the 

,le(|uitiidiiiidia  valley,  138  ;  ■on  the  Serra  da 

Chapada,  3(Jt;. 


Ilpus.ipr  atid  Claraz,  5.34. 

"liighlan.U  of  lirazil,"  270. 

Hills  or  .Serras,  isolated,  on  limestone  plain, 

310. 
Ilolothurians,  62. 
l/(ijiltiji/tiin(s,  280. 

llorii-tone.  hills  (jf,  near  Ynlta  da  .''crr.'i,  312. 
lloUM'S  of  liotocudos,  .5'J(>. 
Humboldt  ou  namelUazil,  X  ;  on  distribution 

of  cocoa  ])alm,  120  :  on  social  jplants,  255. 
Humpback  whales,  Ihl 
Hunt,  Ur.  T.  iJterry,  on  Laurentian  of  Brazil, 

550. 
Hyatt,   Alplieus,  on  cretaceouK  fo.ssils   from 

.Maroini,  385. 
Hi/>iif>ini;()rgia  {Gorgonia)  qu<.  cifolia,  62,  74, 

196,  229. 

I. 

led,  460. 

Igiiape  (  y^' water,  q-i/n  of  varied  color, /)<!  way, 
."Mart.),  lertility  <if  vicinity  of,  271. 

llt.r  ]i(iriii;iiiii/i  nsis,  517. 

llha  ilo  l'a(|iiet.i,  das  Cobras,  do  Governador. 
Knxaila,*;:  do  Lima,  45:  Kscalv.ada,  Kaza, 
63;  dolioi,  ilccomiiosinggnciss,7ii :  Halceiro, 
corals  of  74:  de  yanta  li.'irbara  dos  Abrol- 
hos,  175  Uedonda  dos  ,\brolhos,  17S  ;  Ita- 
parica,  207,  coral  lianks  of,  213:  (irande, 
258:  rciiiicna,  258;  lioyapeba,  205;  dos 
Fradres,207:  Itamaraca,  437  :  de  Fernando 
de  Noronha,  437;  do  liananal,  502;  de 
(iuieppe.  ,023. 

Illias  dc  .Maricas,  evidence  of  recent  rise  of,  35, 
30:  de  8anta  Anna,  41  :  dos  I'acotes,  71. 

llheos,  258. 

Induizeiro  {S]}oniliiis  tiilifrasn  Arr. ),  .323. 

Imiilenu'iits,  human,  in  bone  caverns,  286; 
of  liotocmlos  592. 

IndiM.'i  palm,  144  ;  (Altakn  cow/ita  Mart.). 
144,  100 

Inga,  il+,  110,  249  :  gneiss  at,  440. 

liiiirnduins  in  cretaceous  near  Aracaju,  384. 

I  lie  (Tccoma),  94. 

Ipec.-iciianha,  459. 

l/ioiiir/it  liltiiialis,  237. 

Iron  ore.  58,  299,  ,3ul,  407,  447,  503,  .515,  525. 

Iron  mines  and  works  of  Ypanema.  515. 

Islaii.l  of  Victoria,  (jO  :  height  of,  ti7. 

Itali;i|iiiana  {lly  water,  luljd  vill.-ige,  npuan 
roinid  .') 

It'.Oirite  and  jacutinga  auriferous,  533. 

Itaiiiri'' ,  534. 

Itacoli       .  beiatlit  of,  3  •  (JIaraiiliao),  484. 

Itacoliuiiile,  541.  545:  tlie  term  loosely  em- 
ployed, 3.32  :  gold  ill,  533. 

Ttaiiiins  reef,  257. 

Itamlie  {Ilii  stone,  and  fninibd  rough), 

Itanhaein  {Iia  stouc,  and  nltttng  speak,  echo- 
ing rock). 

Itapau'ipe,  .3.34. 

Itajiitiiiga  (reef),  258. 

Itapuan  {ilii  rock,  npvan  round),  346. 

It.'itiaiossi'i,  l>ico  dc.  2  ;  height  of,  3. 

Itu  {llxi  or  Ylii  a  fall),  gold  at,  510. 


J. 


Jacamnd.'i  ( nis;nonia  Braziliensis),  93,  228, 

240,  201,  45i). 
Jacare,  salt  deposits  of,  329. 


70. 
on  limestono  plain, 

I'nltii  (la  Scrrn,  312. 

I,  X  ;  nil  distrilnirioii 

^(iciul  jiliuits,  2oo. 

liuireiitiiiii  of  Brazil, 
ncenus  fossils  from 
()  iju,  cifolia,  62,  74, 


raricd  color,  ]ic  way, 
it)  of,  271. 

ras,  (1(1  (iovcrnador. 
j;  Ksi'Mlvada,  Kaza, 
}:iiciss,7ii ;  lial("ciro, 
liarliai-a  dos  Alirol- 
Alirollios,  ITS;  Ita- 
;s  of,  2iy  ;  (iraudc, 
lovaiK'lia,  2ll.j  ;  do.< 
L,  4;J7  ;  dc  Kcniaiido 
liaiianal,   iJM2  ;    de 

of  recent  rise  of,  35, 
dos  I'aeotes,  71. 

vsaArr),  323. 
Iione  caverns,  286; 

'tn  comjita  Jliirt.), 

at,  446. 

ear  Arucajii,  384. 


447,  fjOa,  515,  525. 

iiieliia.  515. 

It  of,  67. 
ba  villatre,   npuan 

I'erous,  533. 

iraiihfio),  484. 
term  loo.^ely  em- 


he  rouirh), 
■iif;  speuk,  ceho- 


n.d),  .S46. 
lit  of.  .3. 
It,  510. 


liftisU),  93,  228, 


INDEX. 


G13 


Jncrhw:  (Hnpnle)  Inicocephnlu.^,  95. 
Jagiiariire,  268. 

Jack  tree  (Arturarpns  firdzilienfi.'i  Gnni.),  245. 
Jacoljiua,  eliaraeter  of  country  iu  vicinity  of, 

312  ;  eliniate  of,  317. 
Jaciipciiiba  ( /'•  nclofip  mnrrtil),  95. 
Jacntiiit;a,    derivation    of    name,    5.33  ;    de- 

scrilied,  5!i4,  535;    gold  in,  frei',  535;   at 

Uoiigo  .'^ocii,  MX. 
James,  Major  I).  C,  507,  514,  584. 
Janaliulia.  374. 

.lanehuii,  liad  spirit  of  Rotooiidos,  599. 
Jangadas,  nunilier  of,  in  I'rovince  of  I'eruam- 

huco.  432. 
Jamiaria,  salt  lirks  of,  .320. 
Jaragua,  (inrt  of  Maceid,  425;  gold-mines  of, 

.Ma\vc"s  account  of,  511. 
Jiitrnjilui,  24'J. 

.)e()iii.i,  tertiary  MnlTs  of,  422. 
.Tipcji'oi'k,  trilie  of,  593 ;  IJotocudo  chief,  594. 
.loazeiro,  327,408. 
Jniidialiy,  513. 
Jurassic  rucks  not  yet  known  in  Brazil,  554  ; 

of  Andes,  5.")4. 
Jnrupcnccm,  litad  of  navigation  of  Araguaya, 

501 

K. 

Kifhnn/na,  291. 

Kjockkenuiocildinfc.s  on  tlin  Ilia  do  Governa- 

dor,  6 ;  at  ."-aiitos,  6 :  at  Santa  Cruz,  6,  85. 
Knolis,  isolated,  on  lake  plain,  315. 
Kolosliians  of  Ala.ska,  custom  of  piercing  the 

lip,  584. 
Kuparack,  skull  of,  described,  584. 
Kyanite,  145. 


L.icprda,Dr.  de,  .3-37,  421. 

Lagfa  de  Freitas,  11 ;  de  MaricA,  37;  Saqu.arc- 
ma,  37:  Araruama,  3S  :  Keia,  44;  do  ('im- 
pello,  45;  .Marob.'i,  66;  Jacuiie,  83;  .lupa- 
ran.aii,  it*  depth,  color  of  water,  tcrtiir^- 
beds,  loo ;  do  Aviso,  103;  dc  Moiiserras, 
106;  Tapada,  11)7;  Mariricu,  115;  Gavata, 
227;  do  liraco,  near  Bchiioiite,  236 ;  8anta, 
281 ;  at  .lacohin.a  on  the  ."^ao  Kr.aiicisco,  409  ; 
da  I'edra,  mastodon  remains  in,  418;  do 
Norte,  Alag("ias,  422;  do  tful,  Alagdas,  422 ; 
I'aranagiui,  474. 

Lairoons  .along  coast,  formation  of,  44. 

Lake  Plain  of  Bahia,  314;  lakes  of,  314. 

Lameirao,  76. 

Lands  of  Uio  das  Velhas,  290. 

Language  of  Bofocndos,  6o2  ;  simplicity  of 
graniniatical  structure  of,  603. 

Lajia  Verniellia,  282. 

Laurentian  rocks,  447,  449  ;  resemblance  be- 
tween Brazilian  gneisses  and  Laurentian  of 
Canada,, 549. 

Laiini.f,  249. 

Le.id,  siiliiliate  of,  chromate  of,  .sulphide  of, 
carbonate  of,  chloro-phosphate  of,  448. 

Leather-back  turtle,  112. 

Leaves,  shedding  of,  by  catinga  woods  in  dry 
season,  322  ;  rapid  growtli  of,  oa  approach 
of  wet  season,  322. 

Lerythis,  94,  249. 

Leite,  Dr.  Frainja,  his  colony  on  the  Bio 
Uoce,  95. 

Leugoaa  custom  of  piercing  lip  and  ear."!,  584. 


I.eni^c'ies,  diamond  washings  at,  307 

Linh.ires,  fertility  of  lands  near,  lo3. 

Lizards,  bones  of,  in  caverns,  285. 

Li^liiiliitus,  347. 

Lriiidiilus  tminiirns,  4<]8. 

Llianas,  250.  L.  .luparan.aa  (.//",  a  frog,  parri- 
ll'i,  sea  or  l.-lke),  desciilicd,  9"J  ;  coiiipaivd 
with  lakes  of  Alaguas,  422. 

Liais  on  height  of  I'icdade,  3  ;  on  Sao  Francis- 
co, 275  ;  on  the  L'old-mineti  of  Brazil,  546. 

Legs  of  lioiocudo,  thinness  of,  579. 

Liciiri  p.ilni,  256,  423. 

Lignite,  471. 

Lime  manufactured  from  conils,  213. 

Limestone  at  Yiiiranga,  15;  at  Caiitagallo,  51 ; 
of  coral  reefs,  198;  of  .'^ao  Francisco,  270; 
of  Kio  das  Vclhas,  2^1  ;  at  Malhada,  2'X, ; 
east  of  ('ha)iada  Uianiantina  ;  plain  in 
Western  Baliia,  310;  aridity  of,  317;  at 
Estancia,  3Sii;  at  I'arahyha  gold-iiiiaes, 
447  ;  near  Crato,  464  ;  almo-t  entire  ah.-ence 
of,  from  Laurentian  of  Brazil,  551. 

Linh.ires,  Kio  Dote  at,  07  ;  nias.-iape  soils,  97; 
situation  of,  00  ;  tertiary  beds  at,  99. 

Linrkin  (iniit/iopits  Liitkeii,  214. 

Lip,  perforation  of,  by  Botocudos,  how  pcr- 
fornieil,  582  ;  ornament,  583. 

l.ittiirinn,  229. 

Lixo,  Kecife  do,  202. 

Lizards,  abundanc(!  of,  on  Abrolhos,  180. 

Lode,  U(^*cubridora,  l';:raliyba,  448;  Lima, 
447  ;  Boa  Kspciantja,  448. 

Loggerhead  turtle  {Thuliissor/ir/i/s  cniinii'i), 
abundance  of,  at  Barra  8ecca,  notes  on,  li)S. 

Lund,  Ur.  P.  W'.,  ou  hone  caverus  of  Brazil, 
281. 


M. 


Macah(5  and  Campos  Canal,  43. 

.Mac^anibamba,  beach  of,  .39. 

Macaiiibira,  407,441. 

.Maccipe,  loiMlity  for  fossil  fishes  in  Cear'i,46t!. 

Macci  I  Ucef,  213;  to|)ography  and  geology  of 

the  .icinity,  422  ;  city  Jiud  harbor,  425. 
>bicliacalis,  village  of,  167. 
Miiiriiiir/iniia,  286. 

Macnji'',  discovery  of  di.imonds  at,  .306. 
Mailrf/inrn,  absence  of,  from  Brazilian  polyp 

fauna,  214. 
^ladrijiis,  female   whales  with  young  calves, 

1S4. 
Mriiitiilrinn.  absence  of,  from  Brazilian  polyp 

tauna,214. 
Mrfstrirhtieii,  494. 
-Magalhaes,  Dr.  Conto  de,  502. 
>bigncsia,  471. 
.Maiiuine,  gold-mine  of,  543. 
Maize,  79,  142. 
^bilaphvr.  ,5.31. 
Malhada,  265. 
Mammals,  number  of  fossil  .species  discovered 

by  (-'laiissen  and  \Am>\  in  tlie  bone  caverin 


of  Brazil,  2! 


remains  ot  recent  species  of. 


found  occurring  with  extinct  species,  2S6. 

Mammalian  fauna  richer  in  the  post  tertiary 
than  now,  286;  of  true  South  American 
type,  287  ;  not  richer  in  genera  f irmerly, 
287  ;  richness  in  i;i.int  forms,  288. 

Main.io  (Pujnii/ri),  217. 

.Man,  reuiain.s  of,  in  bone  caverns,  286. 


014 


L\'Di:x. 


ill! 


M.'inali  (  Mnnatin:  A>Hfririiiiits),nt  Victoria, T'l , 

III  S;>ii  .Mallii'iis,  121^;   in  Itln  I'criili^  |ii',  2Ui. 
Maii.linrii,  7'J,  ;i!i,  I'Ji,  VS.I.  \oi,  iM. 
Maiiiliil'i,  ilri  Iv.iliiiii  lit  II. line,  iSir.,  tn',). 
Maii;;Mliii,  or  Maii>;aliriia  (Hi(iicuniiii  sjuciasn 

liiiiii.),  14'.",;{Ti.l.V,l,  HiT). 
.MaiiHiiiu'M',  iVtt,  ■>•!'!,  iitu. 
Maiiiiiiiiiiios,  Iri'tiary  ImvIs  at,  55. 
Maiiniiivi- s«,iMiiis,  mill  ■it',[>i>;  foniiiitimi  of, 

Lilin  ;  iiiiliialtliiiM'>Mir, lilii;  nwiuiii>iif  iiiuiah 

if  Kill  .liqiiitiiilii'iilia,  'J^i'.i. 


.Maiii;rnv<'s,  nil  {l.'ii;ininiiiiiiii  rurmiitsn)  ii.il 
Nvlijtr  [Arin  nil  id  loiiii  iilo\ii),  1211 :  as  aj^ciits 
ill  tlir  silling  up  111'  swaiiijis,  222;  .siirial 
plant.-,  2;")!). 

Mtiniiiiii,  ali.-iiii'i'  i>r,  tVoni  Uni^iliaii  iioly|) 
taiiMa,2l4. 

.Maraia.-siiiiii',  unM-iiiiiios  of,  485. 

Marapij;i|n',  271. 

Maraiiniialii',  I'iH. 

Maiaiiliaii,  |«ipulaliiiii  of  province  and  city, 
■ISl) ;  ^'(ilil-niiiii'.-,  .')4l). 

Miiruuii,  >pn  irs  ..1  ll_\ ,  nott'il  for  liitiii;;  just  at 
ni^Ciilfail,  2111 ;  iil>   uf,  3^54;  civtarrou.s  of, 

Marsli,  I'rof.  ().  C.,  ili'scriplion  of  nrw  croco- 

ililians,   liou ;    on   nciiirrcnco   of   nio.sasau- 

rian.--  in  Kiiropo  ami  .Anu'rica,  494. 
Massapo  soils,  ll'.l,  IIS,  ;jSI,-,. 
Mastiulon,  ivniaiiis  of,  201,280,208,324,325, 

4LS,411t,47l,5:;3. 
Mall',  I'.ir.i^juayaii  tea,  517. 
.Matta  ill'  ."".lo  .loao,  308. 
Malta.-,  37'.t,  42>J. 
Muiiriliii  riiii/im,  2'.ll\ 
Mawi',  Ifavi'ls  in  Uiaiiil,  51 ;  on  golj-miues  of 

.laraLtu.'i,  511. 
>li'(iratli,  Ui-._  .137. 
M>i:nptn;,  IS], 
Miutit/iniinti,  2">i>,  471. 
Mtlnuid  tn,i,ri/(}n/iis  ^lorri.'s,  348,350;  M. 

i\i(it'i,i/iiiiii  ll.artt,  350. 
Mrl.iph.vr,  530. 
Miltisii,/n(i,  240,  201,  375;  M.  Hookerinntis, 

4(18,423. 
Mrliii.sid  rlir/inliiiiiii,  250. 
Mtss,i/i(,  Orliiiii  (iaiil),  403. 
Mi'sti-i'  .Mvaro,  S3. 
Mrti'orolifi'  of  lii'iiiilriro,  325. 
Mi'tt'iiniiifi's,  -linwrr  of,  in  ("I'ari,  472. 
Mctaniorplii-ni  no  rritirion  of  atri',  2S0 ;  sifrns 

of,  in  I'll/nil'  roi-k  not  ilisapprarin;.;  toward 

till'  wi'stiTii  part  of  plateau  of  Drazil,  500. 
Mialivpf,  01. 
Mii'.a-sl.it,.,  135.  142,  148,  KU,  252,  29G,  208, 

328,  445,  440.  45S,  525,  551. 
Mire,  oeenrn  lire   of  lione.s   of,  in  CHTcrns  of 

lii'ipia  Santa.  2S5. 
Mill' pi, rn  ulrironiix  l,inn,  40,  200;    vnr.   l\t. 

i/ii:iliilii.  20i;;    i-iir.    M.   nllii'dsii,  200:    '-nr. 

]\l.  I',  i\istml:i  Verv.,  201  i  ;    M.    liraziliinsii 

Vevr.,lit5;   I\l.  .\,ii,/ii  Verr.,  2(15. 
Mille|iiires,  stintrin^  properties  of,  20". 
IMiitiiisii.  240,  2511   4'i8. 
Miiias  (la  Ca.xoeria,  447. 
Minas  (ieraes,  a  laml-loeked  province,  iiocessi- 

t.v  of  roads  to  tlie  coast,  130. 
Jlinas  Novas,  caii-e  of  failure  of  mines,  157  ; 

^reoloiiy  cif  vicinity  of,  iri7. 
Mining  conip.iiiies.    Conipai.  letalluririca 

do  Assuruii.  .3oS  :  Tasso  l!r,     ...ii  (iold-Min- 

iiig  (Jouipauy  (limited),  440  ;  t*au  Joao  d'El- 


Ilci  Miiiint;  f'ompaiiy,  530;  Ui«sa  (irande 
(lold-.Miiiing  I'oinpaiiN,  512:  liom  I'etlri) 
Ni.nh  dKl-Kei  I'niiiipany,  542;  liast  .li:i- 
l!ei  rompany,  .544;  Monie-  .\uiios  (icild- 
Mining  Conipany  (limited),  510. 

Mi-pickel,  llie  principal  ;;old-licarer,  531,  540. 

Moisture,  e,\i.stence  of  fore.sls,  depeudcli(.:e  uu, 
321. 

.MolvOdateof  lead,  472. 

.MonUey.s  of  Kio  Dure,  05. 

.Moiiserral,  (.{colony  ol,  334. 

.Monte  .Moreno,  05;  .Inlmiuani,  height,  &o., 
i;,S;  i'areoal,220  ;  S.intn,  325. 

Montes  I'yrelieos,  liei;f|it  of,  5ol. 

.Moon,  superstitious  n  ^^ailiiij,',  among  Hotiicu- 
dus,r.itO, 

Moraine,  ^dgantic,  of  .\niazouiau  glacier,  400. 

.Miiraines  of  I'iieatiilia,  400. 

Morainie  deposits  uf  'I'ijiiea,  ,502. 

.Miirro  do  .Sapateiro,  4S;  de  Me.-Ire  .\lvaro,  81 ; 
lie  Agali,  50  ;  de  No.-.-a  .Senlmni  da  reiilia, 
Oli;  da  Serra,  81,  S3,  S4  ;  do  P.'idie,  02;  da 
Terra  .Vila,  07;  do  Kupaii,  l.)3  ;  do  .\riao, 
104;  de  Sao  I'aulo,  200;  Keilondn,  207  ;  do 
Caldeirao-assu,  pol-lmle  on,  310;  do  Ciin.sel- 
ho,  sand-plains  I  if  vicinity  of,  315;  doCiiaves, 
geology  of,  (04  :  dos  Caliellos  llrancos,  513; 
Vellio  -'olil-miiie,  530:  mmle  of  extracting 
Hold,  53S  :  prolits,  i'hiO,  540;  deptli  of  Uiiues, 
53;t ;  lie  Siinta  Auua,  542. 

Moucliez,  220. 

Moulding  ol  drift-covered  .surfaces  wholly  dif- 
ferent from  that  of  surfaces  exposed  to  tho 
action  of  waves,  500. 

MouuUiiu  ranged  badly  reprcscuted  on  maps, 
278. 

Muciiry  region,  resenildance  in  topojrranhy, 
soils,  &e.,  to  the  colTee  regions  near  Kio, 
l.'U :  topnirraphical  features  due  to  moist 
climati'  and  forests,  .310. 

Mud  bottom  bordering  cond  reef,  200. 

Muiido  Novo  (Mahiii).  mastodon  remains,  325  ; 
locality  for  fossil  tishes  in  (lear.'i,  400. 

Muras,  custiim  of  piercing  lil),  584. 

Miirici  (  ni/rs(>tii»iii),  374. 

l\l,i^^(,  Hnrltii  Verr.,  73,  100,  220. 

.Mussels,  73. 

Miituni  (Trrcr),  05. 

Mi/Hdl',  ISO, 

Mi/ritrs   Ursiiilis.  05. 

Mi/ldi/oii.  2S0. 

.Mysti(;ii  whale,  182. 

Mythical  reef,  belief  lu  accounted  for,  ISO. 


N. 


Naegeli,  Dr.  U.,  0. 

Xaknenuks,  570,  503. 

Natal,  454. 

Ndtiiii  prrilnnsn  Leynierie,  385. 

Natividade.  40". 

Navigation   hy   steam  of  SIVo  Francisco,  300, 

421. 
Navigation  of  the  Araguaya,  501. 
New  Hed  Samlstone  of  Estancia,  370. 
Nazan'th,  208. 
Neocomeii,  5.55. 

iS'iriliiin,  34S  :   .V.  /iiifin  fiabb.  403. 
Nests  of  sea-urclnus  in  rock,  30. 
Nest  of  loggerhead  turtle,  mode  of  excavating, 

loo. 


n 


'^ 


"'^,. 


,  530;  llnssii  OmiKU- 
;,    uVJ ;    I'oiii    I'r.li'o 

III),  ;,\2:  i;;i.-t  .ii;i- 

llllilO     AllllUH    (iuid- 

;uUl-l,c,inT,  niU,  540. 
I'usCs,  Ut'lituduiKiL'  on, 


iii|iirini,  hiiglif,  &<•., 

In,  :;i',. 
iif,  r,(ii. 

I. linn,  uiiioug  Uotocu- 

iiiziiiiian  glacier,  4'JO. 

i'.t. 

rii,  M'i. 

iU-  Mc.>licAIviin),  SI  ; 

1   S<'lilin|-:i  ilii    I'dilKi, 

vl;  .!(.  I'.i.liv,  liJ;  .la 

iipiiii,  l.iii ;  (til  Ai'i.'io, 

0  ;  licilcmiln,  'J'.i;  ;  .In 
('  on,  Jild;  do  Cohscl- 
i(y  ol',;iiri;  iloCiiMvi'S, 
ilicllos  llnuK-os,  ol;! ; 
;   nio.lc  ol'  cxtrMcl'ng 

040 ;  di'iitU  ol'uiiuf.s, 
42. 

1  surfmi'S  wliolly  dif- 
.■tUcii.s  f.\  posed  to  tin; 

•opro.sL'uti'd  oil  maps, 

liinoc  in  topoLrrapliy, 
I'cc  n';;ions  near  Itio, 
ilnrus  due  to  moist 
). 

ovi.l  i-ccf,  200. 
to.loii  remains,  325 ; 
1  ('ear.'i,  400. 
lili,  M4. 


I'JU,  220. 


■counted  for,  ISO. 


.3S5. 

S'lO  Francisco,  390, 

va,  ."lOl. 
;ancia,  370. 


itil..  40.3. 

•k,  30. 

mode  of  e-xcarating, 


INDEV. 


Gl." 


N'cnwieil,    Prince    Maximilian    7n,    122;     on  I'.'to  de  Assueiii- (I!io),  S,  0  ;  Vietoria,  •>'.  ;  Kio 

journeN  tVom  lllicos  to  llalii.i,  2411;  on  eoun-  .le  .'<a.i  l''ran.|-ro,  llil. 

ti.v   l.r"t«een   rrnlin  an.l  ¥:\i.  da  Caxi.eira,  I'.io  Ura/.il  (  (  V,m(//i//i/"  c/ii/i'it'Oi  04,  22S. 

2oT.     See  Aiifii mtix,  raraluso,  ,-,an.l-lie.ls  at,  3l'>li. 

Nie.ilay,  liev.  Mr.,  .Ill  t.irlia  .lepnsits  of  Cama-  I'aralislia  (eity),  populiition,  eomuieri'e,   &(•. 

m.i,'^04:  on  p'olo^y  of  l'li:ip;i.|a   Uiamanti-  of,  U2. 

iiM,  .'Jill  ;  neul.ijry  of  iiili'i'i.ir  of  Italiia,  3t»l.  \  I'ariiiij  l.ia  do  Norte,  K''i>li'n>'  of  gold-region  .d', 

!\'ii:mi  nitliiii  ()^/('.M/.  (Jarriitlii  I's,  iVij.  44ri. 

Nonie>;a  whale,  lh;i.  I  I'.aran.i,  proviiiee  of,  517. 

Nova  .Mmeiila,  Ho.  I'.■u■an.■l^;n.l,  51s. 

Nuggets  of  t;ol.|,  207.  !  I'aiv.;!  .io.-  Al.rollicjs,  I'JO  ;  dius  rarudes,  201. 

Nnmeral.s  wunling  in  laiiguagi.' of  Ikitoeudo.s,  l'i(s.\i/lnni,\H'.t. 


Oti4. 


0. 


O.'topods,  03,2114. 

Oniliiiii,  aliseiii  .•  of,  from  Ilrazilian  imlyp  Ian 

na,211. 
Oilinitdiiliris  riiiniiana  Carrutlitrs,  524. 
oiieiio,  ;ii;2. 

"()lli..s,'-  ;V15. 

<lliven..ii,  24S. 

Oljveir.i,  ."^r.,  437. 

Onea,  05. 

Oolilie  rock  at  Araeare,  .300. 

Olnil,  iiimnioii,  ;i27. 

Uliliiii'lit  Kiihsii  liiilken,  107. 

O/i/iiii'i /fi!^  liiiiicisiJiiiii  .Miill.  and  Troseliel,  107 

OliliKiiHi/.ni  /liir{  iiln  l,ijlken,  107. 

Oliliiiiii'  II  i^' riih  iihiid  liiilken,  107,  2ii3.  ] 

Ojil(iiilhnx  viiiinnn  .Mull,  an.l  'J'roselnl,  107,  i 

21 13. 
O/'/iiind  niirnii  I,\nian,l.2,  r.l7,2('3. 

Opo-sums,  ',il  ;  great  aliundanee  of  lioiie.s  of, 
in  lione  eaverns,  'Ikb. 

O/iiiiUiu,  4(.i.S. 

Oiiiistir  i.'/i,'"",  lOT. 

Oig.-inie  remains,  none  in  drift,  ,073. 

OrgAos,  Serra  .|os,  lieiglit  of,  3,  7. 

Ornament  of  Uofoendo,  500. 

Oitliocla-c,  0,  140. 

Orton,  403. 

(Is  Hnsids,  40. 

0-  lVi.<soes  (Poroes).  2"). 

Ostri.h,  .\meriean,  HO. 

Ottiini,  Seiiat.ir  'rhe..pliiln  1^.,  his   jirnject  t( 


l'al..'.;.Hiia,  .liifl  of.  55H. 

Paul..  Alloii>o,  I;. lis  of,  414  ;  eompareil  witli 
-Niag.u.i  an.l  llii'  ,^alto  (Jraiide  do  .Icjui- 
tiiilionlia,  4tH. 

I'l  .•n.nl  (,I/Y((7ii,v  lii/jini,'riii),  400. 

IN'Ml,  Koo,  51.0. 

Pel. Lie  sill  el  of  drift,  24. 

I'iiliiiia,~,\  ;  I',  lintzdnn.si.^  Kdw.und  Ilaiux', 
2iiS. 

Pe.lra  Honita,32;   Pormosa,  53  ;  Lisa,  54. 

Peiie.lo,  geology  of  vii  ii.iiy  of,  31>7  ;  popula- 
tion, ei.n:nn  r.  e,  fti-.,  -i'M. 

Penn,  .-^tiilf  ('..iiimaii.ler,  on  the  reefs  near 
Cape  Sao  lti..(ue,  Is.S  ,  on  ni  ife,  1>H. 

Peri'-'ot,  Dr.,  .lisi  overer  i  f  the  ISrazilian  eoal- 
fields.  r,2ll 

Peripen,  I  relaeemis  roeks  at,  350. 

Pi  rn;in.l.ueo,  rivers  of,  1.30;  eonveiiience  of, 
as  a  |orl,4;;2;  .-iiiiaiion  of  eiiy,  4;i3 ;  liar- 
hor  of,  ■\:'„',:  )..  piilation  of  i  its  an.l  prov- 
iiiee, i:i2  ;  .leiiv.itioii  of  name,  •i:;2 

i'hil.iileipliia.  l;il  ;  height  alu.ve  sea,  \"A  ; 
eouiitiy  In  v'eiidiy  of,  I.!4  ;  ri.diiie-s  of  soil, 
fitness  for  i  o.oiii/;ition,  134  ;  roiel.  ple.ent 
slate  ol,  1;j5. 

Ph. .oolite  ..I  Pei-iian.li.  .le  Noroiiha,  43S. 

Phjsiognoiiiy  of  l'.o'oeiid..s,  oSl). 

Pias-al.a  {Alinlni  /iiiK/im  .Mart.),  2.37,  217, 
271,  3.30,  .'i7.3. 

Pie.'.lo  Kn.  ha.ir.o,  plO  :  ilo  Knehadinhi.,  li;0 ; 
lie    Kami..-,   l:i7  ;   d'H.-.Mra,   535;    Piedade, 
Alto  ila  ."^1  rra  .la,  height  of,  3. 
Pine-apples,  l^il. 

I'iin'iiits  ifii'^iKt,  V'4. 

Kir  liriisilieni'iliiix),  1  tO. 


.settle  the   .Mueiirv  aiel   o).en  a  \va._'..n-road      Pi.|iii  ('vin/o-v,/-  /;m.w7(e,i,.i'/».s),  1  tO. 

from  Santa  Clara 't.i  Mioas  Novas,  l:;l  :  mill-  \  Piranha   (I'l/nnr,  nlnis),   .lin>ati..ii    of  name, 

;';.iO:  .le-<iiption  of  lialiils,  :;:iO  :  note  on,  hy 
(iar.lner,  4iiO  :  vorai  ity  of,  101,  402,  502. 
I'imiii  11,1,11  (IMii,403 


iiig  right  of  in  Miiuis  .Novas  ilistriet,  102. 
Oiiro  Preto,  vicinity  of  auriferous,  .530. 
(Iriilinii  iiHihiitiiiii .  I'.Hi. 
Owls,  insfriniieiital  in  aecuniulating  hones  in 

caverns,  2S.'i. 
Oyster.s,  73,  220. 

P. 

Paca  {C(Tln<;rniis  Parn).  04. 

Paehv.lernis.  more  ;.l.nii.lant  in  post  tertiary 
than  at  jiresent,  2S7. 

raei.ic  an.l  Atlantic  eonncctc.l  .luring  the  cre- 
taceous, ;!01. 

Palla.liiim.  515;  in  '.'oM  of  Congo  Socn,  .542. 

I'alnis  of  Pay  of  Itio,  7;  of  liio  Doce  04; 
cocoa  {Corns  iliirl/',rii),  IIS;  y,ii/d,  US; 
Mini,  11«;  Tiiiihnrc,  118;  Indai.i,  144; 
Carnalniha,  452 


Pis. I  on  I'.r.-i/iliaii  rei.-f,  1^7. 

riso'liis  in  i-ri'taieoiis  at  li.ihi.a,  .'!.55. 

Pissis  (111  giieissof  Corcova.la  an.l  Copocahann, 

111;  on  eo/.oic  gneis-es  of  lira/.il,  548. 
Pi,-taete,207.  324,327.  4S5. 
Pitanga,  section  at.  IJi'.S  :  .liamond  mines,  .300. 
Piraiigueira  (  Km:' iiin).  10,50. 
Plain  of  tertiary  at  Cinipina,  S2. 
Plains  of  s.in.rat  Victoria,  S2 ;  coast,  foniin- 

tioi    of    221  ;  at   mouth  of  tleiiuitinhonlm, 

221 
riiiniirliis  Moiis/rriilnisis  Ilar't,  .'!51. 
Plants,  fos.-il.  on  l!io  PjinIo,i;43  ;  Alirollios,  170; 

of  carl ifera  of  Kin  (ir.iii.le  do  Siil,  .524 

Plant,  Nathaniel.  K<.|.,  report  ..n  c..al-lii  Lis  of 

Iti.i  .laguarao.  521. 
Plataf.irma,  cretaceous  heds  of  347. 


Palm  oil,  2711.  , 

V\h\U'nolF.tUerpe)'i\:  (Euterpe eihdisyiATiA,  I  Pl'iteaii  of  Province  ot  Hahia,310:  mi.l.lle,  of 
.)li;  I       Pallia,  ;il3:    third  or  coast,  of  liahi.a.  310; 


Pfi/.V//m«7.40,  02, 102.  103. 
I'io  d'Arco  (Bignuaiii),  04,  459. 


secon.l,  ..f  Pallia,  vegetation,  climate  of, 317 
of  Aiipodi,  451 ;  of  lirazil  in  Sao  Paulo  and 


GiO 


IXDKX. 


riiraii.'i,  Wl'i ;  of  llrazil,  even  wlicro  iimliT- 

liiiil  liy  niicis.i,  iV)!!. 
I'liiliiiiim,    llS;  (M  rurrriii'c  nf  in  (;(ilJ-niilK'H 

(if  l(iii/.il,  iM. 
I'lt.niiirrllii  ,li(h,il«)iui  K'ill,  1)2,  lit". 
I'o-iis.xii    ^YL'-llllM-ll,1Sll,    niiiitiiii;    ifnltr  or  liii; 

siriiDii'),  'SM  ;  iirtiliiilili'  results  (p|'  wiiUuiiiK, 

2H1. 
Pncdc-i,  '2,V). 

I'ohi,  r.ii;. 

l'iijirli.i,cliirfiiiiiltriboof  BdtocuilDS,  (J02,  5J4. 
I'djiii'ii  tiiriiii'l,  ;i7l. 

r<>h|is    ilistrilmtiuii  of,  uloug  UruziUiin  ouiist, 
liM. 

r(iiiiiHMi,.t2H. 

I'OII.IS  Oil    ITcfS,  210. 

I'(piit;i  ill' .Iccii,  111  ;  ilo  Tiiliiirru),  (io  ;  Ciiixa  dc 

I'rririis,  'JtiT  ;  (i:in'iii,  2'iT. 
rmitiil  lit  iiiniiili  111'  Kin  Ariissuiiliy,   U",l\  ilii 

H.'irni  ilo  Sao  Kraiiri-^co,  iliiiics  at,  'A'X) 
P(inii|iiiicn,  lioiics  of  ill  caves  at  liiigoa  Santa, 

2sr.. 

Pontes,  in  Ilav  of  Kio,  ll»2. 

Pinihs  siiliild  V.'iTill,  2li;{,  208. 

Piirplivi-v,  iH;,  )l'.». 

I'oroUiiiii,  -^Uiill  of,  oSrt. 

I'oiiii'oca  or  lioi-c,  4S7. 

Porto    lie   Sonza,  >;coloi:y  of  vicinity,  OO ;  iVis 

Caixas,  ll,  21  ;  da  Villa  Nova,  I'cccnt  ilc|iiisit 

nt,  IS  ;  ila  I'cilra,  T'l  ;  ili'  Sou/.a,  S!» ;  ricliiics.s 

of  soil  at.ltl. 
Porto  Alc^rc  (Itio  Miicniy),  12S  ;  (l;io  (;ranilc 

do  Sill),  'hil 
Porto  Sctrnro,  22S  ;  liarlior  and  reef  of,  228. 
Porto  das  I'iraiilias,  412. 
Post  tertiary,  iu'.i. 
Pot-lioles,  (iccnrrence  of  diamonds  in,  ."Oy  ;  of 

hake  I'laiu  of  luobable  glacial  origin,  315, 

f)i!2,  fiTl. 
Prado,  22,'). 

Praia  (Jraiide,  frcoloirioal  .section  at,  l,"?. 
Precijiices,  character  of,  near  llio,  HI. 
Priiiiiiis  rtrriairni.t,  larva'  of,eaten  hy  liotocu- 

d(is.6i>7. 
Prist  is,  species  of,  in  Kio  Doce,  91. 
Propri.i,  4114. 
Protoifillitrus,  2Sl'i. 
IMzewddowski,  .Mr.,  272. 
Psiiliinii  (iiiiiirri,  il. 

Pit  lis  cdiiiliilit ,  l44,  2.52;  social  plant,  2.")t). 
Pliroi:i>n;i(i  (  (iitn^diiid)  ^rar.ilis  Verr  ,  81. 
Piiinice.  IT'.t,  248.  '  1 

ri/i.'omitnis  (tisiri,  4(1,3. 
Pyritts,  niatinetic  iron,  pold  of,  '1,34,541  ;  iron, 

a.ssociated  witli  gold  ut  Morro  Velho  mine, 

537.  j 

Q-  I 

Quartz,  nnriferoiis,  448  ;  Tpins,  448,  .').33. 
Qii.irtzite,  152,  21)ii,  2'J8  ;  iiuriferous,  534. 
Qnadersandsteiii,  298.  i 

Qnixeramoliim,  4G0. 
Quiii.a,  ll»,  459. 
Quiricaro,  Kio,  117. 

n. 

Kailroad.s  of  nrazil,  293 ;  rnntapallo.  G,  19 : 
Dnm  Pedro  Sciinndo,  peolotry  of,  14  ;  Pcin 
iianilnicn  and  S.'io  I'ranci.sco,  43tj;  Santos 
and  Srio  Paulo,  500.  j 


KaiiH  on  Lower  Silo  Frniiplsoo,  420 ;  of  Ma- 
r.inlifiii,  4S5. 

Kecife,  ineaiiint;  of  word,  I9l,  4''!2  ;  I'itv  of, 
4.32  ;  do  Lis..,  2n2  ;  do  l,e-ie,  211  ;  da  Pedr.i 
(Ir.nide,  2\\  :  It.'iiiliaeln,  212:  dns  Itacolil- 
mis,212,227;  das 'I'imliclias,  212  ;  do  Porto 
.S'^'iiro,212 

Keconcavo,  272. 

Iteefv,  Coral,  ...ee  Coral  Keefs  ;  stone,  or  con- 
solidated lieaclies,  of  (iiiarapary,  ti2;  at 
Ilarr.'i  Secca,  lii7,  ll;i;  Purto  Sepiro,  229; 
Santa  Crn/.,  232;  llaliia,  312;  liio  Ver- 
mellio,  311;  I'i'i'iiainliuco,  431;  Paraliyha 
ilo  .Norte,  412,454. 

Keinlianlt,  Prof  (},,279;  trineral  conclusions 
Willi  rctereiice  to  tile  fossil  fauna  of  hniie 
ciiveriis, 'JS7  ;  on  Ib.ssil  man  of  !!ra/,il,  287. 

li'  iiillii  IhiiKi ,  192. 

liliiiro/fjiis  huccutis,  408  ;  li.  olfersii,  408  ;  A'. 
/'(n(.'i,4il8. 

Il/ii'ii  Dfinvini.  1 17. 

Uliij-iii,  sjiecies  of,  social  plants,  250. 

Iti.Kdio,  iiieaiiinn  of  word,  123;  dos  Porcos, 
457;  do  Mniido  .Novo,  157;  dns  Ostras,  124. 

Kil'iiiMo  Diamantiiio,  \V.\ ;  dW^riii  Nova,  149; 
da  !<sirM,250:  do  .Mcio,  154. 

Uii-e,  lb;.20l,4iH»,  410,  454. 

ltirlel,2Nl. 

Kill,  liiiy  of,  I'll  d'.V^iia  Liinpa,  1.54;  d'.Vsua 
Siiji,  137,  15.3;  das  .Vniericanas,  120;  .\n- 
d.iraiiy  (Amlirii  li.it,  /(//  river),  di.ainond 
wasliiiifTs  (HI,  ,300;  A|iia|iitan^M,  S5  ;  .\p- 
podi,  452;  Ar;i;;iiaya,  50l  ;  .\riissiialiy  (Arti- 
ussii-lii/  (jreat  parrot  water,  or  ('(iiiriiii/-ri/ 
water  of  the  sun,  Alart.),  137,  103;  K'old 
in  sands  of,  li;;j ;  d'.Vrei.t,  that  p.irt  of 
a  river  whose  lied  is  composed  of  sand, 
.so  called  in  contrast  with  tlie  part  whose 
lianlis  and  hed  are  rocUy,  120,  171,  242; 
da  liarra  Secca,  Idll  ;  lieiievente,  00;  lloiu 
Successo,  discovery  of  jrold  in,  1.5ii ;  lirns- 
cns,  447;  llnraiil'iaeiii,  227;  Calh  .o,  137, 
151;  Caiiiociiii,  400;  Candiofa,  co.al-mines 
of,  ,521  ;  Caiiindi',  474  ;  Cap.iiiem.i  (nin 
leaf  or  wood,  I'lineiiui  sterile),  271  ;  C;ipi- 
liarilie,  430:  C-ipivary,  137,  145;  Carihype, 
83;  Car.ipina,  70;  C.ir.avellas,  219  :  (_:aravel- 
liis,  mouth  of,  223  ;  Cariniataii,  4.52  ;  C.irnii- 
lianlia  (Curi/rd  to  run,  niilic  eiionirli,  "  Flu- 
vius  sat  r.apidns,"  .Martins),  295;  do  Cas- 
tello,  i;olil-wasliiiip;s  on,  .59;  da  C.ixoeira, 
227;  Cear.i-mcrim,  451  ;  Chopot.,87;  Coiii- 
m.ilid.itulia(  CiDli'iii'tii  rei.iaii..and  ///'"(  place), 
242;  lie  Coiita.-,  200;  Corrientes,  SS  ;  Cutin- 
Huili.i  (  Cnhir  to  wash  and  Hi'i  tree,  Kiver  of 
the  .S(/)/»'/»,\  or  soap  tree  .'),  379  ;  Cotiiiirni- 
lia  luM'otindilia.  3S1  ;  Oar  of,  382  :  Cramiiiu- 
aii,  227;  v'ruliixa,  75;  Cuiti',  89;  Curipc, 
70  ;  Doce,  description  of  K.isin  of,  80  ;  width 
at  Po.  to  de  Soiiza,  90  ;  luxuriance  of  forest 
in,  93;  freshets  of,  98  ;  productions  of,  98; 
It.ir  of,  102,  104  :  lielow  I,iiiliaves,  lo3 ;  Cinn- 
p.'iny  (if,  lo4 ;  American  colony  on,  lo5 ;  salt 
tr.ade  of,  ilillicultv  of  carrvinjr  on,  lo4,  105; 
da  raliric,i,219;  Kanado,  1.37,  145;  do  Krade, 
227:  do  Kiuiiirio.  248  ;  (iihoy.a,  2.5o  :  (ir.indo 
do  Norte,  451:  Ifauhaem,  224:  Imhucalii, 
304;  Ipo.juca,  4.3'l;  Irapir.aiifr  {Ym  honey 
and  /iirdiii;/!  red),  S'^l:  Iriritih.a,  00;  (!ra- 
vat.i,  l:i7,  148;  (iualacho,  SS;  (iuiiiniri,  89  ; 
(iiiarapary,  03  ;  <iuaxiiulilia,  122;  tiur^rueia, 
474  ;  Igiiiissu,  44  ;  Itabapuaua,  52 1  Itucam- 


'rniipinoo,  420  ;  of  5Ia- 
)r,l,  r,)l,  .|;i2;   cify  «(, 

lo  hole,  'M\  :  (111  I'nllM 
inn,  212:  <l(>.i  Itacolii- 
miIm'Ij^is,  2\2  ;  (Id  I'drti) 


Itccts  ;  sfoiic,  or  c'oii- 
if  (iimnipiin,  tU;  at 
1;  I'oi'to  Si')iiii-o,  22i) ; 
Italiiii,  ;irj;  liiu  V.T- 
buoo,   4;jl  ;    I'iinili)!),!. 

• ;  p'lii'riil  cnticliisioiis 
■  r<p»il  liuiim  iif  Imhii? 
il  man  1)1'  l;ra/,il,  287. 

i  I  U.  olfersii,  41)8  ;  A". 


i1  plants,  2.')i!. 

ml,   12;i ;    ildH  I'orcos, 

,  I'll:  ilisOstras,  124. 

1'.';  (I'Ah'w  Nova,  ll'J; 

■io,  154. 

464. 

I  Miiipa,  ir>4  ;  iTAfriia 
Aiiicricaiias,  12H;  Aii- 
/(//  rivi'i'),  (liaiiKiMit 
V|iiapitaii^'a,  N") ;  Ap- 
odl  ;  Anissiialiv  {Ani- 
vvatcl',  or    ('<i<irnri/-ri/ 

ai-f.),  i;j7,  li;;5;  ptiii 

'.Vrcia,    rliat    part    of 

<  composcil    ot'   sand, 

wifli  llic  part  whoso 

oi'Uy.    12(),   ITl,  242  ; 

Iti'iicvonti',  C.il ;   Honi 

'  v'oM  in,  l.")(i;   liriis- 

1,  227  :    Calli.o,  l;J7, 

Taniliota,  coal-mines 

74  ;    Capannoa    (run 

I  stcrilrj,  271  ;    Capi- 

,  l.i7,  14') ;  Carativpc, 

ivc!l:is,21',t;  C'aravi'l- 

imafaii,  402 ;  Carnii- 

luilii  ciionuli,  "  b'lii- 

rtins),  2'.l.') :  do  t'as- 

1,  .")H  ;    da    Caxocira, 

;  I'liopot  ',  S7  ;  Coui- 

jan.aiid  fi/hii  place), 

orrii'Otcs,  SS :  Cofju- 

Mil   ihii  u-vv,  KiviT  of 

'cc  '),  ■i''->:  Cotiiinui- 

irof,  ;)S2 ;  Cnimiiiu- 

Ciiite,  SI) ;   Cnripe, 

Hasin  of,  Sli ;   wi.ltli 

uxuriaiice  of  fon^st 

productions  of,  iW  ; 

hinliares,  lli;i;  Coni- 

colony  on,  Ido ;  salt 

rryin,;;  on,  104,  1(15  ; 

,  l.)7,  145  ;  do  h'rade, 

iil)oya,  2.S0 ;  (Jrande 

in,  224  :   Imhneahi, 

piraii^    (  Vni    honey 

Iriritilia,  lio ;   (Jra- 

o,  SS;  (iuandi'i.  Sit; 

liha,  122 ;  (inrtriieia, 

puauii,  52 ;  Ituoiim- 


ixm:x. 


or 


Mrussii,  130;  Tfnhi'inas,  122;  Italiype  (iV'i 
Hlojie,  /((/  water,  //i  way,  riviM'  anion);  stonesi, 
25'.l;  Itiimarandilia,  "l:!7;  llapiiiini,  ;i2;i ; 
l'a))enierini,  5S ;  .lacurnnii  or  •laiiirnna, 
(./(o  I'j  .-pecii'S  of  I'enelope,  unit  hlaik),  2l)'>  ; 
.lacnaliy,  coal-liasin  on,  5.!ii;  .laciUiN  ,  7'i; 
Jaffnarilie,  45S  ;  .lannaripe  (rivi'r  of  the  (tii- 
•  ■a;,  2»')7  ;  .lapariitnh.i, .'!,',» ;  .lecn,  lij ;  .lci|ine, 
'li'ii'i  ;  .h'i|niriea  {jin/iiirn  salt,  ami  rii'iwi  hay, 
.Mart  I,  2)i>> ;  .le<|uJtinhonha,  PiU  ;  .lo.io  de 
Tiha,  2:il  ;  .loa^sema,  227;  .lohajines,  :W^} : 
.liicnrncn,  221;  .hiparaiiaa,  ',!'.);  .In>.-lape, 
2.5'.l;  Macaho,  44;  .Maciica,  IS;  da  Mai' 
il'.Vi^iia,  l.'il  ;  .Maman^rnapi',  44'j  ;  Man^ara- 
hyha,  7');  Man;,'arah,\ ,  77  ;  .Manhna.-si,  ',Mi; 
Mariricii,  lo7,o;i;j;  Mrariin  or  .Meary,  hore 
of,4S(;;  do  Meio  (Medio),  77;  .Mm-nr\  ,  125; 
Mn;;ii|iii.-aha,  2;J5  ;  Mnriahe,  4,  47  ;  Mutimi,  \ 
Ul:  I'ampio,  la;,  I'.iMca,  115;  I'ar.i,  of  .Mi- 
lias,  2nS  ;  l'ara;;na>sii,  2t;'.t,  ;jo;j ;  i'araf,'iia.\ , 
valley  of,  worn  in  tertiary  sandstones,  504  ; 
I'ara'hyha  do  .<nl,  :j,  45;  i'arali.\  l.a  do  .Norte, 
441;  l'arah>  hiiTia,  4  ;  l'arana,51s;  I'arana- 
paneiiia,  51S ;  I'araopelia,  2S'.t ;  I'arapnca, 
;;',ll  ;  I'ar.lo.  l;i7,  2;ir  ;  I'anialuha,  47;i ; 
I'atipe,  241;  I'eroCio,  i;;i  ;  l'crnii.\  pe,  215  ; 
I'iali.inlia,  4  ;  I'i.iiiliy,  l>')l,:ii'J;  I'ir.icicalia, 
SS  ;  l'iraliy,;{;  l'irah\  tin;;a,  n.cme  (ziven  to 
upper  part  ol  the  Tarah^ha  do  .Sii|,  ;j ;  I'i- 
laidias,  451  ;  da^  riraii^ias,  S7  :  I'irapama, 
4;iO;  l'ii'apitin;,'a,  4  ;  ririiiiii-a.-sn,  S5  .  I'iri- 
c|ni-miriui,  S5  ;  .lo  IV'ixe,  ;i2;i  ;  I'imna,  5U  ; 
I'omha,  4  ;  I'litenui,  l.')2 ;  l'oty,474;  I'oxini 
(I'li.riiii,  n;:l\  ),  211  ;  I'relo,  4,  125;  I'nrus, 
4',)4;  Ileal,  :J7'.t,  .'iSd  ;  dos  ilei.-  .Map.s,  S5  ; 
tie  S.alitre,  1527;  Sal^iailo  (Cear.'i),  457;  da 
•Salsa,  2;!7  ;  Santa  Maria,  t)5  :  de  Sao  Kraii- 
cisco,  271),  tr<'olo);y  of,  27ii,  exiilorers  of, 
275,  rank  of,  amoiiir  rivers,  2SS,  courses 
descrilied,  2'sS  ;  I'pper,  uiihealthiness  of, 
2'J2,  iiaviL'ahility  of,  cost  of  ri'inovimr  oh- 
Htructions  from,  2'.t2,  openin;:  of,  to  steam 
navi^'atioii  helow  I'iranhas,  421,  S.ioMathe- 
OS,  117;  ill' Sao  Itdfael,  Ml  ;  S'lu  Sepe,  coal- 
li.asin  on,52'.t;  Santa  .\ntoiiia,  Ss  ;  de  Sanf' 
Antonio,  mastodon  remains  found  in  vicinity 
of,  2itS;  lie  Santa  ('niz(Ksp.  Sant.),  S5:  Saii- 
ta  Cruz  (Itahia),  2;jl  ;  Santa  Maria,  (it!,  77; 
t>aiifa  Kit.'i,  14.3:  Sa(;uhi-pei|neno,  8S ;  .Sa- 
\iitii-;;randc,  SS  ;  Setuhal,  1157;  country  in 
vieinitv  of,  1  lU  ;  Serenhaeiii,  4oO  :  Serici, 
272;  da  Serra,  t!5  ;  Setuhinlio,  14il,  147; 
Sip.,  241;  Soledade.  l.'J7  :  Taipe,  227;  Tap- 
igos,  frranite  on.  5oii;  sandstones  of,  5ii4; 
Tauh.i,  7li  ;  Tiluije,  513  ;  'I'iete.  510  ;  Tocaii- 
tins,  5(il;  Todos  os  Santos,  12' i  ;  Trahiry, 
451  ;  Una  (binrk  rii-i-r)  of  K-pirito  Santo, 
poiith  of  Victoria,  fVl ;  west  of  Victoria,  7t') ; 
of  li.ahia,  24i) ;  of  reriiandiuco.  4.3o  :  Upiin- 
cma,4.')2;  Urucii,  12t!;  Urui;Mav,51S :  ajr.ates 
of,  .531:  Vacaria,  1.37;  Vasahafris,  379,  3S1  ; 
das  Velhas,  laais  survey  of,  275,  2Si),  coursi', 
%'elocity,  obstruction,  navitraliility,  &e.,2S9, 
Liais's  picture  of  the  scenery  ou,  2itl,  Verde, 
328;  Xin,u'a,5(i3. 

Ri.so,  trraiUial,  of  coiipt  within  recent  times, 
prohahly  still  in  progress,  30;  observation 
on,  at  Victoria,  72. 

Uoads,    scarcity    of    wnpon-roads    in    Minas  • 
Genies,  130 ;  wapon-road  from  Sauta  Clura 
to  I'hiladeliihia,  131.  i 

Hock  crystals,  531.  j 


Hock  salt  said  to  occur  on  Ulo  IIuallaKai.TJO, 
lioccas,  214. 

llo.MWlind,  03,   1(12. 

Kumniant.'^  more  ahundant  in  pottt-tertiury 
than  al  present  in  Itru/.il,  287. 

a. 

.'^ahar.i,  20il. 

St.  ,liihn,.\lr.  O.  Il.,275,  295,475. 

Saline  sli'eiuns,  3('4. 

Saline  de|iosit.s  of  Valley  of  Sao  Fmnrisro, 
328  ;  method  of  exti  letiii),'  the  .salt,  32'J. 

Salines  of  Arariiama,  3S  ;  of  .\hn;.imhamlia,  30. 

Salt,  eo.^t  of,  ni  the  interior,  l;iO;  cunniierin 
in,  on    Kio    Dme,    lil.|  ;    of    Ka/.elida   Aldeu, 

iiapurilies  nl,  32s  ;  of  Sao  Kram  i valley, 

note  \,\  .Mr.  Allen,  32; i  ;  in  (Van,  471; 
Ir.ide  in,  of  Mucur)  ,  128;  of  Iliu  CirauUu 
do  .Norte,  4.')5. 

S.alter  on  fll^^ils  of  Silurian  of  Andes,  552. 

Salto  (iraiiile  do  .lei|ultiMhi>Mha  uillagu  and 
falls),  r,(l;  do  Parana,  518. 

Saltpetre  in  hone  caves  ut  La);6a  Hanta,  284 ; 
of  Itiii  lie  .'~;ilitie,  .'^jil. 

Samanili.iia,  141;  a  pest  in  IJrazil,  ;;rowtli  of, 
aided  hv  tire.-,  2.Vi. 

Saniliahiha,  374. 

Sand-heaches,  formation  of,  210. 

.Sand,  hlowin;;,  on  Sao  I'rancisco,  .'i.32. 

Sands  Mown  over  drift  at  liahia,  31(< ;  of  Ta- 
hoieiros,  ii;;e  of,  377. 

Sandstone,  lertiarv,  47,  48,  .55,  .5(1,  57,  (iO,  100, 
Ml,  113,  123,  121,  15(1,  243,  270,  277,  3(il, 
305,  311,  ;i;i2,  .371,  370,  458,  .p;.!,  474,  475, 
4.>'4,  4^0,  511I  ;  cretaceiius,  175,  34i.,  347,  348, 
307,  30^;  pala-ozoic,  243;  triassic,  :).'0. 

Siinta  Catharina.eoialsof,  11)2;  S.  Clar.a,  12S ; 
S  Crnz,  85;  S.  liuzehia,  310 ;  tj.  I.uzia,452 ; 
S.  .Maria,  70. 

Santo  .\miiro,  272. 

S.atitos,  -,(!(;. 

Sr.i)  Christor.-io  (city),  .381;  p,  Fidelis,  40;  S. 
.louo  il.'i  liarra,  45;  S,  .lo.ao  irKI-llei,  530; 
S.  .loao  d'lpanema,  515;  S.  .Matlieos,  80, 
121  ;  S.  MifTUil,  107;  S.  I'aulo  (city;,  uUU, 
510;  S.  Vicente,  .5.34. 

S.ipucahy,  cretaceous  limestone.s  tit,  3S3. 

Sapncai.-i  (  Leriiihis),  04. 

Sauri.ans,  remains  of,  at  Monserrate,  347. 

Siiwti-h  in  l!io  Doce,  01. 

.^cliielicr,  Mr.  deorp',  120,  120. 

Srhiiiiis  !'  rihiiilliiln/i/i,  10,  423. 

Schist-',  hornlilendic,  44(;. 

Sehlolach,  enninuer,  ou  height  of  Philadel- 
phia, 1.34. 

School,  151,. 327. 

SriiirKs  II  ftiirins,  28G. 

Scori)ions,  375. 

Sea-anemones,  02. 

Sea  breeze  at  I'enedo,  420. 

Sea-level,  ancient,  at  Victoria,  71. 

Sea-urchins,  nests  exc.ivated  in  rocks  by,  .30. 

Sebasti,"'o  l.enie  do  I 'rado,  discoverer  of  gold- 
inines  of  Minus  \ovus,  150. 

Sellow,.5.3(). 

Senonieii,  .5.50. 

SeriripedEI-Hei,  .3.81. 

Serjriliian  croup,  5.5t). 

Seriema  (  Dichnldjilius  cn.itntus),  2.54. 

Serpentine,  occurrence  of,  iu  eozoic  limestone 

.  at  Pirahy,  ,540. 

Serra  dos  Aimorus,  84 ;  das  Aliuas,  254 ;  Uas 


G18 


LNUKX. 


M. 


Arnrns,  400:  di-  Anirlpi'  (Arnri-ipi',  Incnlity 
(if),-"'',  4.')7,4ii4;  AiM.'-MpiiiVii  or  (iiiiiriirnl- 
IIV;i,ri|ii;  ill'  Ar  itiililiii,  ;.'liii'i,'il  plirMiiliii-llil 
<if,  4tl',»  ;  ill'  Ari'if,  4i)l  ;  ilii  AshUni.i,  '.ius; 
ila  lliii'liori'iiiii,  4111,  4''>1  ;  iln  l<iii|ui'rriii,  ■!'i4  ; 
(Ic  Iliii'iioM  Ami'>,  "i'.U  ;  ilip.i  (  iiirin.s  Niivus, 
4'")1 :  iliis  Ciiii'lri-i  Villms  42H,  44ii;  ili.Ciil- 
(li'ii':ic>.|;i<»ll(,;i,;j(i;j;  ilcCiiJti'It'.  •J'.til ;  ilnCiiii- 
iliilii,  2iH  ;  ill'  (Jiii'iilimtiiliy  {('iiniiiiitu  llsli, 
4'.'ii,  ami  /(.(/  wiiirr  in-  rivi'i'),  r.H  ;  'Ins  Dunn 
Iniii'iiis,  '2TS,  4Tii;  iId  Ks|iiiiiiii(;ii,  lii  1  211  ; 
ill!  Krijiial,  h)H  ;  ilo  (imlu  llnilm,  W;  ili' 
(i:iiaiiliiiiiM,  cottiiii  «it',  4:U  ;  ila  (iiil(,'ii, '201  ; 
(Ji'i'ai,  408;  (iramli',  ■l.>i;  i|i>  (ii-an  Mupir, 
l.'iii,  l.'JO  ;  ila'*  lljitiiniliu.i,  H7  ;  illtaliawiiia, 
U70,  'i"!  ;  iritiiaiiiMia,  i;iil;  ilr  lta|iai'ii-a, 
410  ;  ilr  Itai'aca  (Iln  stnm',»lii|  aril  lliiniril), 
247  ;  ill'  Ilaiiliini  (Ila  >tiiiii',  hfin^j  llaiiiiiif:), 
20S;  ill'  .lai'a^'ila,  fjll  :  ilas  La^io,  'JOS;  ila 
i.a|iii,  :ji!l  :  ila  Liiii  Cliria,  liis,  lilO  ;  iicai' 
Rlai-alu',  lirinlit  nt',  42  ;  ilo  Macaio,  li'i2  ; 
Maiijralu'ini,  yu4  ;  ila  Maiilii|Uiii'a,  p'ni'ral 
ilrM'ii|itiiiii  lit',  p'liiiittiial  ^triirdivi'  \c.,2; 
(la  .Maiitii|iii'ini,  .St) ;  iln  Mar,  1,  1 1,  rjlifi,  (')47  ; 
(la  .Mata  ila  Ciiril.'i,  201  :  iln  Matiira,  ri2  ;  iln 
Mocaiiilpo,  ;jn:J;  ilns  .Muiiti's  AitnM,  20t;;  i|.. 
IMiirro  Ijili'iiiiailii,  21  :  irollm  il'A^iiia.  sanil- 
stiiiir  at,  414;  ila  Oiiia,  4S ;  iliw  ()i');aiis, 
tii|iii^'i'aiiliii'ai  ami  p'olnfiiral  ili'M'ri|itii.n  nf, 
1");  lias  I'aiii'llas,  lUS  ;  ilu  I'ai'uuaii,  400 ;  iln 
Paraiiiia  ( I'ard  rivrr,  iiiki  lijark,  lilark- 
riviT),  201  ;  ilan  I'l'ilras  (l'A!.'Ma,  ;il2  ;  iliis 
J'niras  Itramas,  [iii;j ;  di.  j'fnii'a,  4t;2  ;  ilii 
I'ii'ila.lc,  2S!t,  f)3o;  iln  I'iiitnr,  WiH  ;  iln  Kin 
iln  i'(4\i>,  82;i  ;  ill'  Sao  KMi'Ms  40  :  ili.  Sih) 
Joan,  41  ;  ill'  San  Uoiiian  c  Santa  I'az,  f>2  ; 
<la  Samli',  Ol'S  ;  iln  Siiicni-,'i,  200,  Jidll;  Snl.rn- 
dn,  l.'J7  :  iln  Sussuaraiia  {Siiassu  tWvr,  niiKi 
fiilsc,  —  Suasiiiarana  pliiiia,  nr  Krlis  inii- 
onliir),2r)il  ;  ila  'ralpatiiiira,  47^5 ;  il.'i  Trixrini, 
4411,  44ii  :  ila  Terra  Dura,  !!Hi  :  ilr  'I'iiilia, 
324;  iln  Tiimliailnr,  :i\>'<:  ila  'i'lipa,  47ri ;  ilns 
Vi'rti'iiti's,  501  ;  ila  Vitria,  li;S  ;  ila  Villa  \ 
ha,  2011;  ila  Vliiapalia,  lici-ivatinu  nl' iiui; 
4'iii :  stnii'turc  nf,  457' 

Pi'rra.ln,  147. 

Sicrtaii,  420.  4.")0. 

Sliairs,  cri'tarcoiis,  of  Mniisorrato,  340;  with 
fisli  rriiiaiiis  iii'ar  I'mpriA,  4ii4. 

Si'hrnslmf,  sit/hui  Vrrr.,  (',2,  74,  103,  203, 
207,  214  ;  var,  coitferla  Vcrr.,  104. 

Sii'iiiti',  324. 

ii^incnr.'i,  iliamoTiil-wn.nhinp.''  (it,  SI". 

Silurian  rnrks  nf  nni7;il,r>r)l ;  liiiiitfil  rancro  of 
animals  iluriiifr,  r)-")2 ;  of  linliv.'ir  anil  Peru, 
5.52:  fnssilsat,  iV,2. 

Silver  always  fnnml  in  Brazilian  gnUl,  542. 

Slate,  ennL'lnnierate.  242. 

Slates  nn  jlio  ila  Mae  ilAL'tia,  1.54  :  (lUiriferos) 
of  Minor  Xovas  iiiul  IMiapaila,  157;  deeoui- 
linsitinn  nf,  15.S. 

Slides  nf  rooks  on  Bnhia  Kailroad,  373. 

Sloths,  04. 

Sini/nilnn  )ifn!;rTi(X,2^0. 

Sndth,Mr.  S.  I.,  on  Uraziliaii  rru.siaoeaii,203. 

Social  plants,  variet.v  nf,  in  Hrazil,  255. 

Soils  of  the  Uio  Doce  repon,  fertility  of,  00- 
l03  ;  thinness  nf  m  Lake  I'lain  of  Hahia,  314  : 
of  Itio  Sao  .^latheos,  117,  IIS  :  of  tertiary 
lands  of  Mnrur.v,  VVi;  of  Urucu,  133;  of 
vicinity  of  Calhiio,  152. 


Spar,  donhlo-refrarflnif,  525 

f^liliiiri;i.s  niriiiiHi,  112. 

S/i/iriKil'l'  ri.s,  52i'). 

Speenlnr  imn,  472. 

Spiders  nf  AlirnliiiPH,  prey  on  llznnlH  nnd  hlriN, 
Isii 

Spix  and  Martins  on  letretatioii  nf  Hand  iilain 
near  Kin,  10  :  nn  jnMriii',\  tmni  Malha.la  to 
rai'lineii'.'i,  205  ;  On  ile.'nl  inrajs  in  lake  near 
lllieiis,  2.50;  oil  beindL'K'n  melenrnlitt',  ;j25. 

Siiiiirrei,  Sl5. 

Slaurniide,  252. 

Steamlioat  lines  from  Ilahia,  3.38. 

Stnlie  implements  nf  llnlneudns,  502;  reefs. 
See  liiijs. 

Srni'p'nns,  none  in  Snutli  America,  40;i. 

Stralitled  depnsits,  alpM'Uee  nf,  in  cnnnectinn 
"ith  dritt,  5tli). 

Stria',  jjlaeial,  reason  for  not  tindintr  in  lirazil, 
57. 

Sfriateil  surfaces,  alisence  nf,  in  lirazil,  5'i2  ; 
not  repnrtcd  in  I'ata^'-nni.i  anil  Chili. 

Strnctnre,  want  nf,  in  drill,  5ti4 

Sliiiiiliii  (e.  \t.  in  der  7tli  Stnnde),  530. 

Sulmierned  Ijurder  of  cnral  reels  nf  Lixn,  life 
of,  205. 

Sniiterrane.ari  streams,  40K 

Snpu',  12(1,  2i;i.272,;>o,;!0.3,  4.il,  441,  442  i 
nietlioil  of  pieparin),'  at  .Muri.ilii',  4H ;  cane, 
00,  4.52,  45.S,  450  ;  plautatUius,  45,  48,  52, 
271,  452 

Supiry  unartz,  545. 

Snipliate  of  nia;;nesia,  3.30. 

Sulphide  nf  aiifimotiy,  472. 

Sulphide*  nil  urviMH  "I'll  l-'olil.  5.34. 

Sulphur  said  tn  incur  in  tliu  I'rovinco  of  Uio 
(■rand  dn  .Nnrte,  455. 

Sniuidourn  cavern,  lemains  of  man  in,  2W. 

Swanips  nf  Kin  .Slarici'i,  Ihi:  lietwecii  the 
Kins  I'endi.viieand  (.'aravellas,  210  ;  lietweeii 
Jtios  ,lei|niiinlinnha  and  I'ardo,  23.S :  jour- 
ney in,  230. 

Syviji/tyUia  Hartlii,  lOlJ. 


Tahatinpra  clay,  .3(!3 

Tahle  land  hetween  Sao  Franci.'co  and  Tocam- 

tins  tia.-ins.  277  :  nf  S.'m  I'aiiln,  .5<iO. 
T.'di|i'-tnp|ied  hills  or  Serras  of  tlie  San  Fraii- 

cisi  ovallev,  .331     <if  Krere,  Ohydos,  Cupati, 

Almevrim",  4S0,  40(». 
Taholcii-os,  3113,3114,  312.  .3(12,  .3i!5,  373,  4fU 
Talcnse  slates,  auriferous,  prohably  Silurian, 

551. 
Talhail.an,  417. 

Tamaniluataliy,  pent-hops  near,  5TO 
Tapaidioacaiipi,  .5.3i>,  5.50. 
T.ipera  di  Cinia,  deposits  of  iron  ore  near,  332. 
Tajiir  (  Tnjiiriis  Amfricunus),  M. 
Taiiuvos,  .578. 
Taiiu'ara  (Hamhoo).  216. 
Tai|uara-assii   7-cc|nires  humidity  and  cowid- 

er.itile  elevatinu,  84  ;  social  plant,  250. 
Tai(nar;i  lisa,  141. 
Tea,  I'arapn.'ivan,  517  ;  Chinee,  culture  of,  in 

Hrazil,517" 
Tela  lizard  (  Tfiii.t  vionitnr),  111. 
TtUinn  AmnzcDthtisix  Gabb.,  493. 
Ternio  do  .lardiui,  45" 
Terra  ruxa,  614. 


Mo 


■yon  lizanls  nnd  liIrN, 

L'ctlltloll  (if  Wltlil  |il,l|ll 
I'ljcy  ti'diii  .MiilliMilii  to 
'iiil  iciniN  ill  liikc  i.i'iir 
i-'fe'd  uifti'onilito,  iUij. 


ilila.aiM. 

ii>i(icui|(i>,  r,U'2;   rcrfs, 

h  AiiuTicH,  10!). 

nil'  (if,  III  ('(iiiiit'cflriii 

ii"t  titnliiiir  in  llriizil, 

(T  of,  in  Urnzil,  502  j 
iiiiiii  mill  C'liili. 

1  Stiiiiili'),  .'30. 

ii'iil  wvU  iif  Lixii,  life 

1(8 

Kr,m.  -i.;!,  4ii,  ivi-, 

It  .Mnri.ilR',  4S;  nmr, 
iinliitiouh,  ii),  48,  iVJ, 


3n. 

72. 

ipilil.Wt. 

I  tile  I'mvinco  of  Ulo 

ins  i)f  nmn  in,  'JSt!. 
,   llt'i;    lirtwi'i'M    the 
iivrlliis, 21l(;  lii'twi'i'ii 
111  I'ai-ao,  'ZS>^:  juur- 


^raneispo  nnd  Topam" 

I'lmlo,  ."(09. 
lis  (if  flic  tf.io  Friin- 
n'',  Oli.vilo.s,  Cuimti, 

3(i2,  31!.",,  373,  4fi4 
,  inobiibly  Silurian, 

i  near,  509 

nf  iron  oroncar,  332. 
'IS),  U4. 

niiidity  and  consid- 
lial  plant,  256. 

linose,  culture  of,  in 

,111. 

jb.,493. 


I.NDEX. 


ci;> 


Tprrnoc  fnmi  of  tlio  jirnvinrp  nf  naliin,  301.       i 

'J'rriiiir.v,  t'.intiiu'illii  Knilrniid, 'Jn;  lii'twrcn  Os 
r.il/.iiiM  Mild  M.ii'hIk^,  41  ;  lliirrriris  do  !"li'i, 
5>i :  Liiiliiii'i's,  !•') ;  Luum.i   .lii|i;iniiiria,    l'>0: 

S.IK    M.ifl s,    117;    Itiiliiiii.i,    rj;t  ;    Siintii 

Cliirii,  I'J'J:  .liii|iilliiil ha  Viillr.v,  13:t  :   lic- 

twi'i'ii    rri'iili\|n'   mid    Miiciirv,  21')  ;   near  ' 
I'nrdi  ."ii'^rMrn,  225:  lii'f'.Mi'ii    I'lirtu  Sr^'iiro 
nnd  Snnf.'i  Crn/.,  "J.'il  ;  ilin  I'ardii,  243;  (<>*•  , 
bils   of,    ri'|inrfcd  fnini   liny  nf  Italiia,   2li;»  ; 
Krriini'aVH,  272  ;  virinifv  nf  <'miiii.'<.'<m'i,  JJiil  ; 
l.'iiid-iiif  lialiia,  373;  .Viavrniiilia.s,  ;i7."> ;   Ala- 

^'■|:l■^,  422  ;   M i  I,  424;   I'miaiiilnini,  42'.t  ; 

I'ai-alivlia  do  Nnrlr,  413;  riiiiliv,  474  ;  .Ma- 
ranhan,  4-<4  ;  .Vinazniias  4;t2  ;  i'r'ia.s,  4113; 
wc.'tcni  |i,ii't  of  .\iiiiizii|iiis-l'ira^iiay  watcr- 
hIic  I,  i')ii3;  (if  llra/.il,  />V«»</.   ,')')". 

T/i" 'ii  <<"'•''» ''/«'''(i'(/i'(,  II I  III  iida  111  I' of,  at  Barra 
.■^cri'ii,  nio.li'  nf  .lc|in-i(iiii,'  i'W-,  ^r.,  lOS. 

Th(iriiriis{iiirii.<  lliil.ii  ii>iis  Marsh,  !i"7. 

Tldr  pooU  oil  till'  1 {',  life  of,  1U7. 

Ti  tstkrill  l,iilkrirs,2Sl. 

Ti.il. '•.t,  iii'iili  of,  height,  12  ;  drift  of  valley  of, 

2'1. 
r-//'//i'/v'V/,21,2.'l. 
Ti.luiro,  :i3ii,  tll,4.'.4. 
TniM/,  l."il,  r,o3. 
ToiioiriMiiliy  nf  v'ni'iss  rcirioii  in  tlip  interior  nf 

Hahia,  .-i'ev^rilie,  mid  .Mie.'.'ias,    .'jH ;    nf   ter- 

ti:iry,  near  ("nrtn  Se;.'nrn,  225;  of  tertiary 

near  I'njiiea  fiiiiiiel,  371. 
Tnr'.Aiilseli,  .lai'oli.  'Jli2. 
Tniinii.iliiii',  13'i,  1 15. 

Tnrtni-^e,  eretaeeous,  3")^. 

T'.riii/dii.  2Si;. 

Traip'i,  p'lilnnv  of  vicinity,  401). 

Traiieo/.n,'J27. 

Traiiiro.iil,  steam,  of  the  I'araiiuassii,  2"0,  33«. 

Trap  of  .\lirnlhiis,  17'i ;  deioiiipositinn  of.  177  ; 

hills,  rmnre  nf,  in  Kin  (Irmidu  do  Sul,  530. 
Travelled  Imulders,  570. 
Tres  Irniaos,  lU. 
Triassie  sandstones  nf  Kstanein,  370,  .554. 

TriiniPiitli t,  iili-eiire  of,  from  lirazilian  radi- 
ate fauna,  T.N. 
Tniiiipet  used  Iiy  Hotnrudos,  502. 

Tiirhii  deposits  at  ('amaiiui,  202. 

Tinhiiiii  ll/i  iiiiiiii.siiila  (ialili.,  403. 

Tiieiini  (.lNV)V)r()/-)/»,/)  tiiriiinii),  110. 

Tiipi  naiiie-i  in  lir.izil,  ix. 

Tupiiiaiiilias,  lip  nrnaiiients,  5S4. 

Tliri,  Jtnld-lililies  of,  4S5 

Turtles  (sea),  llW. 

"  Turtles,"  f,i-.ii  nr  ?i>ptaria,  at  Maroim,  393. 

Tiu-ner,  Eugiuoer,  371. 


Uhi  prnf^t  (Giinfrhim  parvlfnliumyec!^),  ib, 

94,305  ;  sneial  plant,  250. 
IV((  101(1,204.  I 

CUoa,  ou  the  I.sland  of  Fernando  de  Noronha,  . 

430.  ; 

Unio,  101. 

Unio  {Atio/lnn  ?)  Totiinn-Sanctnrinn,  llartt, 
.34'^,  351. 

Urubii,  257;  cbanpp  in  gcnlogical  Ptrupture, 
climate,  and  vegetation  below,  on  Sio  Fran- 
cisco, VM. 

Urncu  {Fi.rn  On-llnnn  Linn.)  used  a.s  paint 
by  Botocudos  ;  colony  ou  Mucury,  133.  I 


V. 


Viipplnlnni,  IIS. 

Vadelli,30l. 

Valenni,  2i'i0. 

Valley  of  ,<rio  Sinirid,  lOS ;  of  flic  CalliHo 
Arassuahv,  150. 

Valleys  of 'vicinity  of  Alto  dos  Dnis,  VA: 
without  (intlets,  3'i3. 

Vanilla,  517. 

Vegetation  of  snnd-plains  ncnr  Victoria,  t!2, 
li.'i ;  nf  Swamp  nf  itin  Maririci'i,  110:  ou 
the  Kill  S,"io  Matlieos  lielnw  the  city.  121  ; 
nf  I  hapada  near  Santa  llita,  IK;  nf  Alln 
dos  llols,  14i;  ;  of"  ('hapada  of  Miiias  .\n. 
vas,  117:  of  viiiiiity  of  Callno,  V:i:  of 
vicinity  of  Siicuri'i,  l.'l  ;  of  .lei|uitiiiliniiha 
less  liiX'U-laut   than  that  nf  the  llnee,  17'.i  ; 

of  the  Alimlhos,    isii;  ,,f  , ,|tr\    lietHeeii 

Mui'iirv  mid  I'lTUhvpe,  210;  nf  saiid-pl.iiii 
at  li-liiiniite,  li:;7;  mi  Itio  I'ar.ln,  'Jtl;  nf 
I'.irdo,  'JIA :  nf  CaiiipiK,  "'.in;  nf  Si'vra 
da  Villa  Velha,  20';;  nf  interior  nf  Italii.i, 
317;  nf  t'ainpns  nf  .Magiiiiihas,  ;i7") :  near 
niontli  of  Si'in  Krancisen,  :i!i5  ;  of  Kio  (Jrande 
do  Norte,  4.')2. 

Veins  ill  decomposed  riick  iHver  traceable  into 
diift, ')i'5  ;  of  granifi',  li;i;  I'liiartzi,  in  Mi- 
n:is  Novas  region,  l',7  ;  miril'ennis,  at  Cha- 
p:id;i,  l'i~^:  aiivifcroiis,  of  I'arahyba,  44S. 

Villus  //•.riKisii  ill  s.iiids  on  tliu  Cantagallo 
Railroad  Kxfeiision,  10. 

Veri'iU.  on  re<enilil.incc  lietweeii  niarine  fauna 
of  West  Indies  and  Ilrizil,  lOS. 

Victnri.i,  harbor  of,  00,  S(i  ;  iCniii|iii.ita),  2.55. 

Villa  da  Itarra  do  Sao  Matlieos,  l'J2;  d.i  liarni 
do  It.abapiiana,  .54;  Vii-nsa,  21''^;  da  liarra 
do  .lardiiii,  405  ;  do  Ci-atn,  4''i-l  ;  las  l/ivras 
da  Mangibeira,  403;  Nova  da  Uiiiilia,  .321  ; 
\iiva  near  I'ciiedo,  307;  do  l!io  de  Cmitas, 
20S:  Sio  licrnardn,  VW  :  d.a  Seri-a,  S4  ;  do 
Siicnrii'i,  l."i3  :  Nova,  S.'io  Frani  isco,  .sand- 
stones at,  .307. 

Vinliatico(.4.v(r;((1,  04.201. 

Vii'i/inra  { Pii!ii'/inii)  Lartrilfi'  Il.artt,  350; 
V.  (Pd'iiilinn)  H'i/liinnsii  llartt,  Jijl. 

Vncabuliries,  liotncudu,  0o5. 

ro/i(/r),203,214. 

Von  F.s(diwi'i:e,  .501,  51."i.  .5.".",  .5-"r) 

Von  Tscliiidi  on  Hofocii4n  tribes,  ,",;i2:  on  dis- 
tribution of  cocna-iialiu  in  lir.azii,  U'J  ;  op 
the  Colony  of  .Santa  Lcopnldiua,  77. 


^Varil,  Mr.  Tbnmas,  277,  279,  .'',01. 

U'aste  of  land  at  nioutli  of  the  Ainazonas,  401. 

M'ater.  scarcity  of,  in  interior  of  liahia,  2.50. 

Wax  of  Cariiahuba,  4."i3. 

Wave  action,  contrast  between  the  rock  sur- 
faces produced  by  wave  action  mid  those 
formed  by  the  glaciers,  342  :  during  sub- 
sidence, drift  t  referable  to,  .'ii;3,  .507; 
during  rise  of  .and,  drift  not  referable  to, 
5a3.  5il5. 
Vcddel,.541. 

.v'idmannstadtian  figures  shown  by  DcmdSgo 
meteornlitc,  326. 

Weiss,  ,5.30. 

Wet  season,  few  animals  fpen,  1.">. 

Whale,  fiesli  of,  used  for  "  .d,  IS5. 


G20 


INDEX. 


MTinle  fishery  of  Rmzil  anj  of  tht  Abrolhos, 
l.sl  ;  iluiiitioii  (if  hslicry,  1H2.  Arinin;oi'.s  or 
tl'.villK  lloiirs,  isy  ;  huiMclU'S  luiil  liuats  used 
ill,  iiiuiilicr  (if  mull  Liiiployeil,  wni^cs,  ditft- 
cultiiM  (if  tisliiu;,',  iuiiierffct  uiutliojs,  183  ; 
at  lliihiii,  IS;"). 

WhalclKiiie,  lb4. 

■\Vliciit,  112. 

^^■llitl•  water  rivers,  223. 

Wliite  ants,  liills  of,  25('. 

AViiids  of  caiiipos,  2ol ;  on  Silo  Francisco  be- 
low fulls,  421. 

Wilson,  Ml-  IIu(,'li,  209,  .338. 

Williams,  Mr.  C.  II.,  ou  Indian  rock  drawings, 

Williamson,  Mr.  E.,  on  tlie  freolopy  aud  gold- 
miues  of  I'urahyba  do  Norte,  443 


Wounds,  fnoility  vitli  which  they  heal  among 

liotoeudos,  Oli'S. 
Wymau,  I'rof.  Jelfrioa,  on  Botocudo  skull, 6S5. 


Y. 


Yellow  fever,  33". 
Ypirangu,  liuiustonc  at,  15. 


Z. 

Zinc,  sulphide  of,  448,  472. 
Ziiielira,  172. 
ZizyjiliHS  Jnmeirn,  408. 
Zoanlkus,  U2,  l'J2. 


THE    END. 


Cambridge  :  Electrotyped  and  Printed  by  Welch,  Bigelow,  &  Co. 


vhich  thpy  hoal  among 
on  Botocudo  skull,  685. 


lo. 


■2. 


Co. 


